we're back now more of "today" on a wednesday morning. it's the 26th day of october, 2011, nice to see so many smiling faces out here on kind of a, well, moderate but breezy day here in new york city. i'm on the plaza, matt lauer along with ann curry and al roker and coming up, more on the trial of michael jackson's

personal physician, conrad murray. the defense is now running its side of the case on tuesday, michael jackson's nurse got very emotional on the stand, actually broke down, asked for a pause in the proceedings. we'll fill you in on what happened and what the impact of that might be. love conquers all. is it enough to conquer money problems in a marriage? what you should do before you marry someone who might have some serious financial baggage and what you should know if your bank is one of those that's now starting to charge for debit cards. >> right, and speaking of those debit cards, when you go to the atm, those little atm machines, some of them, did you know this? i just heard this, are loaded with bad germs. i'm sure you guys love, sometimes when you look at the atm machines, i think i'll pass on this one. some are loaded with in fact something called e. coli, so that's not a good thing. we'll tell you about the hidden places where germs may be lurking, including at the bottom of your purse, and how you can get rid of them. coming up.

>> that's important. >> made us all quiet for a second. let's go inside, natalie is off today. savannah guthrie filling in at the news desk. >> good morning, guys. in the newspapers today, tensions appear to have eased now in oakland, california, after boiling over during the night. police in riot gear used tear gas on hundreds of occupy wall street protesters, hours after police dismantled their encampment near a government building. police used tear gas after protesters threw rocks and bottles at officers and in atlanta, they were arrested after ignoring warnings to leave a downtown park. today president obama announces a plan to help millions struggling with student loans. the aim of the plan is to allow student loan recipients to lower payments and could nsolidate lo. last night he spoke go moammar gadhafi's death. he says "it sends a strong message around the world to dictators that people long to be

free." a government advisory panel is recommending a vaccine against cervical cancer be given to boys as well as girls. six 2006 health officials have tried with limited success to get girls vaccinated against hpv. researchers said giving the vaccine to boys who woo help spread the virus which causes most cervical cancers. a coroner in britain today testified that amy winehouse accidentally died from drinking too much alcohol. the 27-year-old had more than five times the legal limit for driving in her blood when she was found dead in her home in july. more testimony today in the manslaughter trial of michael jackson's doctor, conrad murray, after an emotional day in court tuesday. nbc's jeff rossen is there this morning, good morning to you. >> reporter: good morning to you. watching the defense teamwork in court their strategy is becoming more and more clear that michael jackson needed drugs to sleep and essentially killed himself

and the write-off tuesday more drama in the courtroom. >> i'm feeling really, really dizzy. and i'm sorry. >> reporter: that's cherilyn lee, michael jackson's nurse. >> this is just very sensitive for me. if i can just rest a little bit. i would appreciate it very much. >> don't worry about it. >> thank you. >> reporter: after a short break, she told the jury just months before his death, michael came to her looking for propo l propofol, brand name diprivan. he. >> he looked at me and said "i have a lot of difficulty sleeping. i've tried everything, and what i need is something that's going to help me fall asleep right away." then he went more into "the only thing that would do that is diprivan." >> just try igto conserve my throat please so understand. >> reporter: she said michael needed it for his upcoming tour. the defense strategy, paint michael as an addict, trying to get propofol from anyone he could but prosecutors fired back on cross-examination. >> you were not willing to give

michael jackson the propofol or diprivan or iv drip, correct? >> absolutely not. >> reporter: and there were other problems, behind the scenes, the concert promoter was losing faith in michael's ability. randy phillips was in charge. >> there was concern that michael wasn't really taking it seriously enough or focused. >> are in a tough moment for the defense, phillips testified that dr. murray called jackson "healthy" and never told concert promoters about the singer's sleep problems. defense report card? >> big "f" today. it was awhole lot of witnesses with a whole lot of nothing. >> if you're murray's lawyers do you put him on the stand now? >> if i represent him, no way, risky move. while he's really sympathetic, looks like a nice guy, his words are going to get jammed down his threat. >> reporter: sources close to the case tell nbc news there is no final decision yet about whether or not to put conrad murray on the stand. they're going to have to figure it out really quick.

the pace is moving along and this could end up in the hands of the jury early next week. >> we may find out today. jeff rossen thank you so much. finally in australia a rare white wombat is being nursed baaing to health a month after it was found near death. the wildlife volunteer caring for him named him polar. officials hope to use him for educational purposes and breeding programs. wombats are usually brown, black or gray, don't you know. it's 9:06. here's al with a check of the weather. >> thanks so much, savannah. as we look to see what's happening out in the tropics we are also first of all going to start off with the snow in denver, we're talking about a lot of snow through the rockies, they've already picked up about four to six inches, they'll probably see another three to seven in metropolitan denver, some areas may pick up another six to 12 inches and we have hurricane rina, 20 miles south southeast of cozumel, 110-mile-per-hour winds, category 2 storm, moving west at

4. path of the storm brings it across cozumel sometime early friday morning. cancun may see some problems as well with 100-mile-per-hour winds. it's a compact storm but could cause problems >> good morning. it should be a fairly nice day today. by the late afternoon, we will see a chance for a few rain showers. ♪ somebody call 911, sure the fire burning on the dance floor ♪ time for today's money 911.

jean chatzky author of "money 911" and david bach author oand sharon epperson. this viewer e-mail is from texas who writes "i'm a physician with a good salary, no debt and i'm the owner of three rental properties. i'm in love with a young lady who is $700 in debt, including an irs judgment, two student loans and a fine for a felony conviction. i want to marry her but would like to know how you would advise us to partner up." >> okay, look there's not just one red flag here, there are five, and there are five big ones, and i would say don't marry her. i mean don't marry her. >> wow. >> she's going do come after you. >> at least not right now, and if you're not going to listen to me and the guy used the word love and marriage and he's in it. if you're not going to listen to me, get a prenup and get a

really, really good prenup and a financial adviser who can put this fiance of yours on the straight and narrow. you've got to see progress toward a better financial ed because this is going to happen again. >> keep talking but keep everything separate. don't commingle anything. nothing. keep it separate. >> wow. let's go to the phone lines. >> moves on. >> k.b. from washington on the wash. k.b., what's your question? >> caller: hi there. our bank recently started charging a $10 a month service fee plus a $3 a month fee to use our debit card. so we've decided to transfer our money to a local credit union. what issues should we be aware of before we do this? >> bet a lot of people are think being this. >> caller: also -- >> sorry, k.b., keep going. >> caller: also i have a credit card with this thing, i paid it off and plan to close my account and apply for a new credit card offered by the credit union at a much lower interest rate. my second question is, how will

this affect my credit rating. >> this is like the netflix moment of banking. net plik reported they lost 800,000 customers and we're seeing this in banking. people with the big banks are moving to credit unions. first of all, there is a great website in credit unions, go to mycreditunion.g mycreditunion.gov. there should be no cost for checking, there should be no cost for the debit fees, you should be able to get higher interest rates on your money and really it's a great deal so what do you need to know? find out, are there going to be costs for the checks? recently i just talked to somebody who made the switch from one bank to the other, paid $30 just for checks. what's really important you got any automated accounts, maybe you've got an automated mortgage payment or getting your check automatecally put into your bank account, you're going to need to make the switch. a lot of credit unions are helping with that switching process as are by the way other banks. >> what about the credit card? >> here's what i would recommend you do, open the credit card account first with the credit union before you consider

closing that credit card. i would leave the credit card account open for a while but open a new card first. >> let's go to skype. jaclyn from virginia joining us vee i don via skype. >> my husband is in the military and paying for federal school loans over a four-year period. we're responsible for the interest that comes in each month but he applied for a deferment so we didn't have to pay for that. our question basically, should we be paying it each month or wait until paying off the loan and make the interest payments so we can concentrate on putting extra money on his private school loan? >> jacqueline, thank your husband for his service. >> absolutely, thank you so much. jacqueline, first of all, every branch of the military has a different way they handle this. in terms of the military loan they're going to be paying back for you the original balance, the original principle, not the interest. so what you want to do is try to figure out what part is interest and what part is principle.

that's rather difficult and if you wind up paying down the principle that reduces the amount of money they're paying back for you. continue to set aside money to pay back the interest but then wait until after that has been paid, because you're going to have that deferment until the loan is paid in full, or until he leaves service so that i think that is what you should do at this point. >> jacqueline thank you so much. >> thank you. >> mary from kentucky writing "my husband recently passed away, several of our credit card contacted me, social security notified him of his death, closed the accounts even though i was an authorized user and never been late. the ones closed didn't have a balance on them. i'm sure this will lower my credit card scores." >> social security did not close the account. they keep the master death lists and so did the states. the credit card companies pulled the information from one or the other of the sources and they closed the accounts because you're an authorized, not a joint user on that credit card. this is why we always tell

people you need to have a credit card in your own name. what you should do right now is call those same credit card companies back, explain to them what happened and ask them to open a credit card specifically for you. >> all right. >> and we're sorry about your husband very, very much. >> and having this problem on top of it. >> yes. >> guys thanks soech, jean chatssky, david bach and sharon epperson. germs are not just hiding in your bathroom. we'll show you surprising hot spots. and lou man fredini shows us how easy it is to transform your home but first these messages. hey, mom? what? pay you? for what? for unloading the dishwasher?! kid, you need to pay me for making this delicious -- whoa. hold on there, mom. kitchen counselor. um, mom, i think what she means is "greasy dishes." yeah. in fact, check it out. cascade complete pacs are the ones with the real liquid top. they fight tough greasy messes better than the other tablet, which can leave more tough grease behind.

oooh, clean. there's only one cascade. love it, or your money back. colace® capsules stool softener helps ease straining to make going easier. try colace® capsules for effective, comfortable relief from occasional constipation. now you can save big on colace® capsules! go to colacecapsules.com. it burns! it's singeing me. it's the sun. get out of the office more often, with chili's $6 lunch break combos,

featuring texas toast half sandwiches. chili's lunch break combos. you want that? you want a warm, super-delicious strawberry toaster strudel yeah but now i have nothing to eat sure you do. hey! you can have the pop tart! pillsbury toaster strudel. the one kids want to eat new pronamel iso-active is a toothpaste in a can. it starts off as a gel... transforms into a foam and actually surrounds your teeth. it gets into all those nooks and crannies. dentists recommend pronamel. pronamel iso-active re-hardens the enamel that's been softened by acid you're consuming. acid doesn't just affect our front or back teeth but the whole tooth. pronamel iso-active helps protect against the effects of acid erosion.

"today's healthy home" is brought to you by clorox, help stop the spread of germs and colds this season with clorox dis disinfecting products. >> germs thrive in bathrooms and kitchens but some of the

germiest places could be in your own laundry room, your purse and grocery bags. amy brightfield health editor at "woman's day." good morning. >> good morning. >> high ick factor in this segment. we'll start with the laundry. this is the place things go to get clean, not dirty. >> they do. you want to sort things that you wash by use, so you don't want to wash kitchen towels with your underwear. you want to wash your underwear, bath towels separate from the kitchen towels and if anything is really soiled you want to rinse it out first because those particles will just spread throughout the washing machine. >> and you say that when you do it in cold water, which sometimes you do because you don't want things to shrink doesn't get them as clean. >> not at all. wash soiled things particularly on hot water and dry them thoroughly in the drying machine, and also, once a month you want to run a cycle in the wash with bleach so you can put all of your whites in there or do it in the rinse to make sure you get any residual germs out of there. >> cleaning the washer with

that? >> yes. >> we move on to the kitchen, you prepare meats and poultry and wipe off the count we are the sponge and the sponge lives there. >> people cross-contaminate themselves because they use the sponge to wipe off if they dropped raw egg, and then they spread it all over the counter so you want to use separate sponges to wipe the sinks and the counter than the dishes. and you also want to make sure you store the sponge somewhere where it dries out. don't leave it hanging out in the sink because moisture breeds bacteria. >> like a petrie dish. >> and also use disinfectant wipes for the counter instead of the sponge so make sure you don't mix it up and stick your sponge in the dishwasher or microwave to disinfect it. >> move on to the grocery store and germ out there. is this true? there's more e. coli on shopping carts than toilet seats? >> there's lots of little kids' bottoms in the shopping cards. >> eww. >> also from leaking meat packages and unwashed produce. so you want to make sure to wipe

down the grocery cart, wipe down your hands and also, your reusable grocery bag, you're being environmentally conscious but have one separate for your meat and separate for your produce. you don't want the meat to leak and the raw meat jouss to leak or wrap the meat in plastic before you put it into the bag. >> next might be the no brainer, the bathroom, nobody expects that to be a pristine environment. beyond washing our hands what should we do? >> beyond washing your hands for as much as it takes to sing happy birthday. >> that's what we tell my little nieces. >> spritz down the faucets every week because they're breeding bacteria, and close the toilet lid when you flush. every time you flush little particles go everywhere and they can travel far. keep your toothbrush far away from the toilet. >> you're grossing me out. in a public bathroom are you a proponent of flush with the foot? >> definitely and use a middle

stall, they get used less often than the ends and the hand dryers don't work as well as the paper towels do getting the germs off of your hand. >> this a lot haven't heard of, the bottom of your purse or bag. >> they go everywhere. do you ever think about where you're putting your bag, on the floor, in the airport, people put it on the sink in public bathment radios. >> and bring it home and put it on the kitchen counter and make dinner. >> keep the bag away from any countertop where food is being eaten or prepared and even your bed. don't put your bag on your bad and if it's the right material, maybe you try wiping the bottom off. >> last but not least my favorite, the tv remote, something that never gets cleaned probably if you don't think about it. >> everybody touches it and it never gets cleaned and it's got the little grooves that are perfect for collecting dirt and food so wash it off once a week with a disinfecting wipe or solution of one part bleach to nine parts water. >> we have a few extra seconds to get to my favorite tip, you just told me that the five-second rule is a myth. >> it's a myth. >> we drop something, less than

five seconds it's fine. >> studies found that bacteria and salmonella transferred on to food in as fast as five seconds than 60. >> what about the two-second rule, no? >> no, throw it away. >> amy brightfield thank you so much. appreciate it. still to come, why hire a professional painter when you can do it yourself? we'll show you how to save money and spruce up your home with a fresh coat of paint, maybe purel, too while you're at it. according to research, everybody likes more cash. well, almost everybody... ♪ would you like 50% more cash? no! but it's more money. [ male announcer ] the new capital one cash rewards card. the card for people who want 50% more cash. what's in your wallet? woah! [ giggles ] ♪ [ male announcer ] we touch a lot of things throughout the day. so it's nice that clorox disinfecting products

help kill the germs that can live on surfaces for up to 48 hours. ♪ feels sweet when i can touch you ♪ on surfaces for up to 48 hours. [ male announcer ] is today's breathe, out of your mouth. [ exhales sharply ] [ male announcer ] introducing crest complete with scope dualblast. a new toothpaste that does more than mask bad breath. it kills bad breath germs... and blasts away strong food aftertastes. that's the power of dualblast. new crest complete extra white with scope dualblast. with an extra blast of whitening, too. crest. life opens up when you do. for that dualblast power in a rinse, try scope dualblast. the mccafé caramel mocha from mcdonald's, she's been expecting a little bit more out of...everything. with sweet caramel, rich chocolate, and smooth espresso, the simple joy of big expectations. ♪

the simple joy of big expectations. [ female announcer ] give a little cheer to a family of a soldier. just cut out the cheer from your specially marked box of cheerios, write your message, and we'll see that they get it. from your specially marked box of cheerios, if you think occasional irregularity is no big deal, think twice. it may be a sign that your digestive system could be working better.

listen to this with occasional irregularity, things your body doesn't use could be lingering in your system, causing discomfort. but activia has been shown in clinical studies to help with slow intestinal transit when consumed 3 times per day. 7 out of 10 doctors recommend activia. and the great taste is recommended by me! coming up in our next half hour, freshening up any room of

your home with a new coat of paint. lou manfredini will show us new products that make it easier than ever. in "today's kitchen" we've got some pretty fabulous desserts, oh, there we go, one of our stage managers stealing them. one of the most exciting bakeries in the country, mo momo fuco milk bar. first your local news and weather. re's your guy benny ! younger boy: i got lightning mcqueen ! i got mater ! dad: hi honey ! ready ? now ! older boy: i got 'em ! dad: here comes lightning mcqueen! boys: woah! oh did you see that ? ♪ we sing along younger boy: yeah ! ♪ to all our favorite songs look how far he is ! ♪ we can make 'em up younger boy: watch out lightning ♪ 'cause we were made for each other ♪ toy sfx: go go go ! older boy: lightning wins ! ♪ for always boys: woo hoo ! toy sfx: see you soon amigos ! time to deploy the chex mix boring potato chip decoy bag. now no one will want to steal the deliciousness.

with a variety of tastes and textures, only chex mix is a bag of interesting. vo: a breakfast worth waking up for. enjoy the sausage, egg and cheese croissan'wich today. only at burger king.

>> live, local, latebreaking. this is a wbal-tv 11 news update. >> it is going to turn out to be a pretty nice day until we get into the late afternoon and evening hours. thickening clouds expected as we head through the morning. high-temperature around 70. rainshowers likely tonight and tomorrow. rain will come back on saturday

[ screaming ]. you're going to kill us. >> this is the same guy who go "blank in the box"? justin timberlake, newest action star, in the futuristic new thriller called "in time." he's going to be here just in time to tell us all about it tomorrow on "today."

i hope's not angry. >> i know. he's multitalented, wow. also coming up in this half hour the fight against breast cancer, of course the disease does not discriminate but when it comes to treatment there is a big gap between those who can and cannot afford all of the tests and surgeries. one survivor shares her story in a new hbo film and we'll talk to her coming up. looking for a pop of color or a whole new look painting your room is usually the easiest and cheapest way to go. >> or paint your chair. >> that's cool. lou man fredini shows us new options in paint. a rising star in the world of desserts making a huge splash from cereal, milk, ice cream to candy bar pie. the woman behind momofuku bar is here. i like saying that, momofuku bar is here, serving up sweets in "today's kitchen." >> she said candy bars are a whole food group in and of themselves. we like her.

we have showers in the pacific northwest, the northern mississippi river valley. snow continuing in the central rockies, another few inches around denver, looking at rain through the northeast and the ohio river valley. tomorrow the rain changes to wet snow, interior sections of new york and northern new england. sunny and mild in the pacific northwest, and snow showers in the southern rockies and wet weather through the lower gulf into the >> good morning. we're starting out with some dry weather. increasing clouds and mild. and that's your latest weather.

>> al, thank you. coming up next the hidden battle in the fight against breast cancer, right after this. copd makes it hard to breathe, so i wasn't playing much of a role in my own life, but with advair, i'm breathing better so now i can take the lead on a science adventure. advair is clinically proven to help significantly improve lung function. unlike most copd medications, advair contains both an anti-inflammatory and a long-acting bronchodilator, working together to help improve your lung function all day. advair won't replace fast-acting inhalers for sudden symptoms and should not be used more than twice a day. people with copd taking advair may have a higher chance of pneumonia. advair may increase your risk of osteoporosis and some eye problems. tell your doctor if you have a heart condition or high blood pressure before taking advair. if you're still having difficulty breathing, take the lead. ask your doctor if including advair could help improve your lung function. get your first full prescription free and save on refills at

advaircopd.com. vo: a breakfast worth waking up for. enjoy the sausage, egg and cheese croissan'wich today. only at burger king. keurig has a wide variety of gourmet coffee and tea to choose from. keurig is the way to brew fresh, delicious coffee in under a minute. way to brew. so with keurig, every cup tastes like it's brewed just for you. because it is.

achoo! [ male announcer ] and common tissue can make it burn even more. puffs plus lotion is more soothing than common tissue, and it delivers our most soothing lotion for every nose issue. in 15 minutes, you can serve some warmth with your bread. and some flavor with your bread. and some layers with your bread. if you're serving bread honey, then serve it. grands! dinner ideas made easy. tonight we're setting the table, with something new. come in for olive garden's new stuffed rigatonis, hearty pasta stuffed with a blend of five italian cheeses. for just $11.95 try the rigatoni with grilled chicken in a roasted garlic alfredo. or for just $9.95 try the rigatoni with sausage in tomato alfredo. both served with our unlimited fresh salad or homemade soup and warm breadsticks.

so grab a table tonight at olive garden. when you're here you're family. october is breast cancer awareness month and one breast cancer survivor, didi ricks is hoping to shed light on a different side of the disease by telling her story in a film airing on hbo. >> certainly when you're poor, you have low access to preventative health care, and low access to treatment that others can't afford. so it's not only a medical challenge, it is a moral challenge, and our people are dying because they're poor and because they're uninsured. >> what's going through my head is how can you go to a woman and

say, our health care system will take care of you when we failed her at every other level? >> you may not be able to change who is poor, but i believe and i have shown, i think, that you can change what happens to people who are poor. >> and didi ricks is here along with dr. haar alleged freeman, ceo of the harold p. freeman board. i know you're cancer free now. who you are you doing? >> i'm feeling wonderful, thank you. >> you went through this as a single mother, eight different sessions of chemotherapy. how was it when you found out just shy of your 39th wirth day you had breast cancer? >> my thirst thought my sons are 2 and 5 and i immediately went to the place if something happened to me, they would never remember me so i started filming moments with the kids and thus the documentary evolved to this. >> and of course you were quite

the high-powered wall street type back then. you had the money. you had the resources, and even for you, you discovered that dealing with insurance companies was a full time job. >> i don't know how women today do it. i see you know, on the documentaries see my battle with the insurance companies and you know, one of the things that i learned through the process is to really get through it, you really need to understand and have someone navigating you through this system, so research is important, advocacy is important, but holding someone's hand through the entire process and getting them through diagnosis to resolution of the disease is really what i'm doing with dr. freeman today. >> that is where dr. freeman comes in, but you did, as i understand it, have something of a revelation, as you were going through this terrible bat well breast cancer, you looked around that hospital waiting room and you saw there were those who had far fewer resources and you wondered how are they managing this? tell us about that moment for

you. >> the questions were coming, you know, what do you mean i can't pick up my child for 30 days after having a double mastectomy. how am i going to drive to work? and all of the things that i wasn't facing because i had help, and people to take care of me, so it was at that moment that i vowed to help women that didn't have access, and to give them the help that they needed. >> i know that's when you got contacted with dr. freeman. put it bluntly your philosophy is having cancer and being poor can be a lethal combination. >> that is so often the case. for the 40 years i've been in harlem, i've faced many, many poor women with breast cancer in particular, and they have great barriers in getting into and through the health care system in a timely way. therefore, these women tend to come in very late and many of them will die because of that. >> and in fact, didi, one of the most powerful aspects of the documentary you met a woman, cynthia doddson, also struggling with cancer and it documents your parallel tracks.

tell us about her and what happened to her. >> cynthia was amazing. she was me. she was me, and the only difference is that i was white and she was african-american, but she was full of life, and full of energy, and she was really an inspiration to me. >> and she passed away? >> yes, we lost cynthia, which happens way too often when women come in stage four, and are uninsured. >> you have the patient navigation institute and we just heard didi talk a little bit about it, but you know, in the few seconds we have, why is it important to have a navigator? >> a navigator can eliminate the barriers that people face when they try to get through the system. barriers related to fear and distrust, communication barriers, no insurance, complexity of the system, so one on one, accompanying, guiding people through the system is what navigation is, and it has results that we've improved survival of breast cancer from

39% to 70% by screening and navigating in harlem and this program is becoming national now. >> dr. haar alleged freeman and didi ricks thank you for your time. the documentary is amazing to watch your transformation to thank you for coming and sharing your story. >> thank you. >> "the education of didi ricks" airs tomorrow night on hbo. coming up next, updating the look of your home with the stroke of a brush, coming up after this. day this week. so i took my heartburn pill and some antacids. we're having mexican tonight, so another pill then? unless we eat later, then pill later? if i get a snack now, pill now? skip the snack, pill later... late dinner, pill now? aghh i've got heartburn in my head. [ male announcer ] stop the madness of treating frequent heartburn. it's simple with prilosec otc. one pill a day. twenty-four hours. zero heartburn. no heartburn in the first place. great.

if you think occasional irregularity is no big deal, think twice. it may be a sign that your digestive system could be working better. listen to this with occasional irregularity, things your body doesn't use could be lingering in your system, causing discomfort. but activia has been shown in clinical studies to help with slow intestinal transit when consumed 3 times per day. 7 out of 10 doctors recommend activia. and the great taste is recommended by me!

yep! (mom) i'm so proud of you. the bus is here, gotta go mom. okay hunny, have a great day. look in your bag, made you something. (announcer) it's more than just that great peanut taste, choosing jif is a simple way to show someone how much you care. choosey moms, choose jif. the mccafé caramel mocha from mcdonald's, she's been expecting a little bit more out of...everything. with sweet caramel, rich chocolate, and smooth espresso, the simple joy of big expectations. ♪

[ slurp! ] [ female announcer ] hey, ladies, here's a little something [ chomp! ] you'll find irresistible, cinnamon toast crunch, with a delicious cinnamon and sugar taste that's amazing. crave those crazy squares. [ slurp! ] this morning on "today's home" a fresh take on paint. lou manfredini is host of "house smart" and shows us how one coat can make a world of difference bringing a tired room back to life. nice to see you.. >> good morning, nice to see you. >> i've been seeing a lot of commercials for paint and primer. >> correct. >> that's been around for a while. you weren't a big fan of it. >> i wasn't. it's been a number of years, many different manufacturers as

we have here that have these and i'm a primer guy, but then i started to use this stuff, and i went to a lab where they made it, and they sort of made a believer out of me because the technology changed. >> what's with the golf ball? >> older paint, the ceramic beads or polymers in there were the size of golf balls. >> literally? >> well no it's an illustration. >> i was going to say that's a lumpy paint. >> but it's an illustration. >> wow. >> like putting cottage cheese on the wall. you had to prime it and put two coats. i'm still a fan of two coats into color. they took the polymers and ceramic beads and made it small almost like a powder. that helps with the coverage and the flow. the reality of it is, this stuff works and it's low voc, some of it is no voc. people sensitive to smell when they go to paint. >> these are fun fall colors? >> pebble creek, dark pine, morning espresso. >> i thought it said dork pine.

>> not dork pine. when you put this on, one of the biggest mistakes, they don't put enough paint on the roller. do not be afraid. look at the coverage. this is a dark color. >> how dark can this cover? >> this is unprimed drywall and i put on two stripes. look at how dark that is. whenever you're doing dark colors you want two colors because you want the depth of color. >> even with the primer paint you still want us to do two coats. >> no primer. when you patch the wall and do spackling you go over it with the paint, super sticky and wonderful coverage. >> stencilling, my sister hands stencils. >> your sister is going to love this because this was invented by a woman who stencils all the time like your sister and what she didn't like is they were small stencils you had to reposition, measure, oh that one's too for. stensive is the company, stensiv.com is the website. this is a 15-foot roll.

in a bedroom if you're going corner to corner you can set it up like this, and don't have to worry about the spacing and you sparingly go with the paint across here. ceilings and walls are never plumb, never level. don't level this if you're doing a border. go with what the ceiling tells you. if it's a little off, that's where your eye is going to go. >> what if it's in the middle of the wall? >> there you'll take a small four foot level and make pencil marks. this is like a post-it note. now when i'm done -- let me finish that off so i don't get in trouble. >> all right. ooh! >> thank you, thank you. >> ahh! >> i'm here all weekend. enjoy the view. >> very nice. >> this is $34 for a roll and you can reuse it, which is great. >> pretty cool. >> once it dries you can cut them and all kinds of wonderful shapes. >> painting your upholstery.

>> this pillow, white pillow. feel the fabric. feel the side painted? >> almost the same. >> doesn't crinkle. this is called simply spray, spraypaintforfabric.com. this stuff from light to dark -- >> actually, it's simplyspray.com. >> i asked them and they said it's not. >> it's on the can. >> what do i know? it says that on the can! >> this you can go from light to dark. >> can i try this? >> sure. squeeze hard. back and forth, any absorbent material, light to dark, nontoxic, water based, it will absorb into the fabric. obviously light to dark you do a couple of coats here, 12 bucks for a can. the odor is not bad. wipe it on the pillow. >> i've got this nice stencil -- >> i think they wanted that back. >> not anymore. you can use it on -- [ laughter ]

okay. you can use it on fabric. you can use it on lamp shades. you can use it on pillows. if you're looking for a way to -- could you do that, you could stencil. that's great. go ahead. >> whoa! >> ladies and gentlemen, al roker and his stencilling team. >> i'm here 'til thursday. >> this is a wonderful way to update something without hending a lot of money, throw pillows. this white pillow painted and it's simple to use, affordable way to update. >> lou manfredini as usual thanks so much sir. >> i think you're welcome. >> simplyspray.com. >> it says it on the can. delicious desserts from a young chef who is the toast of new york, but first this is "today" on nbc.

more than usual. this morning on "today's kitchen" 29-year-old pastry chef

christina toste shows us unique step by steps. >> she is the creator of momofuku, she shares her secrets in a new cookbook of the same name. good to see but >> we are not worthy. we love you so much. >> according to david chang the chef and owner of momofuku you consume more sugar than seemingly possible without keelg over. >> that's correct. i'm a real life hummingbird. he has gone so far as to buy me cases of candy bars for my birthday and challenge me to eat them. >> and have you met the challenge? >> oh, yeah. i'll meet any challenge especially when it comes to sugar. >> to ten us make a descent dessert? >> you use chocolate crumbs as a building block. >> yeah, we make them in a ton of different flavors. >> how do you do it? >> super simple, we start with flour, al do you want to be the mixer? >> sure, okay. >> flour, then valrona cocoa

powder, a quality dark cocoa powder, granulated sugar, salt and a little bit of corn starch helps behind it together. on the mixer on a low speed for a second, gets a little bit of melted butter, just until the crumbs come together. >> do you melt the but thor in the microwave? >> i melt the but thor in the microwave. >> i didn't know if that was against the law. >> for me i love my microwave until it comes together, exactly as soon as it starts to look like dark chocolate clusters, it goes in the oven, 300 degrees for 15 or 20 minutes until it dries out because i like the burst of chocolate flavor but the sandy texture of it. >> just alone it's perfect on ice cream -- but you would never leave it there, no, no. >> we go further. >> we go further. we make a chocolate chocolate cookie dough, the same valrona cookie powder, deep dark chocolate. all of our chocolate crumbs, pour them in and mix them around. >> and scoop them out?

>> yeah, it's our take on like a chocolate chocolate cookie but instead of chocolate chips you have the nice sandy chocolate clusters. >> or you could just eat this bowl. >> i am definitely a cookie dough eater before you bake it. exactly. >> how long do you bake? you're as messy as i am. >> see? >> a little for me, a little for you. they get baked off at 375 degrees in the oven for about 18 minutes and they're for me i like my cookie to be like a brownie, it's fudgie in the center. >> and what do we have back here? >> in the back we take the chocolate crumbs again and stick them in one of our layered cakes, a chocolate chip layered cake. >> okay. >> we take layers of the cake, we soak the cake with a little passion future pruit puree, and to take the chocolate crumbs and distribute them, again like that nice surprise layer of chocolate and sandiness, and then a little

coffee frosting goes on top. >> and do you bake this or put it in the fridge? >> i layer it, i freeze it just so it sets up like this and i don't cover it on the sides so it's frosted. a little chocolate chip on top. >> so we can see the layers. >> exactly. you put so much time into the layers so for me that's important. >> what do we end up with here? >> this is my love story to the take five candy bar pie. take the chocolate crumbs, melted butter, we stir it around to misoisten the crumb until it moist enough for a pie crust. push it up the sides of the wall of the pie and layer it with caramel, peanut butter, pretzels and chocolate. >> i love but. >> christina, will you marry us? >> yes, i will. >> i feel ready to commit. do you? >> yes, absolutely. >> we have two seconds, tell us about the crack pie your favorite confection. >> super simple, it's toasted oat crusted in gooey butter filling, everybody loves gooey

butter cake and a pie. >> hold us, clis tina. >> never leave us! >> recipes on today.com. >> coming up more of