tv Today NBC January 25, 2012 9:00am-10:00am EST
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we're back now with more of "today" on a wednesday morning, the 25th day of january 2012. got some clouds and sun above us here in rockefeller plaza. ann curry is shaking some hands, getting caught on camera. 38 degrees, not too bad. thanks to these people for stopping by. i'm matt lauer along with ann curry, al roker and savannah guthr guthrie. coming up this half hour more on the health scare for demi moore. she was rushed to the hospital last night after a friend called 911. her rep is now saying she's being treated for exhaustion. we'll find out more about that situation. >> also going to talk about your money 911 questions including questions about how to pay for your education when you have the kids almost ready for college and what to do with the
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timeshares you can't afford anymore. those questions and others coming up. >> later on on joy's diet s.o.s. we'll answer questions, for example, what's the truth about coffee versus tea when it comes to caffeine and what about egg substitutes? are they a smart choice? our nutritionist joy bauer is here with the answers. >> all right. also ahead fashion advice. wearing white in winter. we'll tell you if you want to take something from summer and turn it into a winter look. like if you want to buy new white clothing, we have tips to make sure you wear it well. >> it's a trend. one of the big things. >> winter white. what's old is new again. >> it's the new black. let's go inside. natalie is at the news desk with a look at the headlines. >> thank you, guys. good morning to you. new details this morning about the daring overnight raid that freed a kidnapped american aid worker in somalia. jessica buchanan and her
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colleague from denmark were abducted by pirates three months ago. they were rescued by s.e.a.l. team 6, the same unit that killed osama bin laden last may. the s.e.a.l.s swooped in by helicopter and killed all nine of the nier in the outdoor encampment. last night in the state of the union the president pledged to repair the economy by bringing jobs back to the u.s. he said anyone making over $1 s million should pay a minimum of 30% in income tax. a common household chemical may reduce the effectiveness of vaccines in young children. the study found children exposed to compounds known as pfcs had lower immune responses to diphtheria and tetanus vaccines. pfcs can be found in microwave popcorn bags, nonstick cookware and certain cleaners. big changes are coming to
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school lunches. the first lady is announcing today that schools will now offer healthier meals that are lower in sodium, include more whole grains, fruits and vegetables and low fat milk. a huge fireworks explosion at a lunar new year celebration killed at least four people and injured 90 others in central thailand last night. about 1 is 00 homes were set on fire. officials believe the trouble started when a rocket misfired and landed in a pile of unused fireworks. and new that is actress demi moore was rushed to the hospital for what her publicist called stress and exhaustion. >> reporter: paramedics responded to moore's home monday night after a friend of the actress reportedly called 911.
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>> she was home with another female friend female friend who witnessed demi started behaving as if she was suffering from a seizure. that woman called 911 is. they came to the house and when they saw demi's condition they rushed her straight to the hospital. >> reporter: representative for the actress released a statement saying because of the stresses in her life right now, demi has chosen to seek professional assistance to treat her exhaustion and improve her health. she looks forward to getting well and is grateful for the support of family and friends. the actress has been known for being in prime physical shape throughout her career. recently has appeared to have lost a tremendous amount of weight. >> demi has not looked very good over the last couple months. ever since the break-up it looked like she was getting thinner and thinner. >> reporter: that break-up is to her husband of six years, actor ashton kutcher. moore announced plans to divorce last year after reports that kutcher was unfail on their wedding anniversary of all nights. the stress of the divorce seems to have taken an emotional toll. in this month's harper's bazaar the actress talks about her life
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and fears telling the magazine, i would say what scares me is that i'm going to ultimately find out at the end of my life that i'm really not lovable, that i'm not worthy of being loved, that there's something fundamentally wrong with me. >> people tell me demi has been upset. it's been a difficult time and she's heartbroken over that. i'm not necessarily connecting what happened monday night to the divorce, but it certainly couldn't have helped matters. >> that was savannah guthrie reporting. olympic organizers say they are reviewing their policy after public outrage over a rule that requires infants carried in a parent's arms to have a ticket for an olympic event. officials said it was to make sure venues were not over capacity. and dozens of flights had to be diverted tuesday away from routes in the northern hemisphere because of a solar storm under way in space that is interfering with radio signals. the solar flares contributed to stunning images of the northern
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lights in the skies over norway tuesday which may be seen for the next few days. it's now six minutes past the hour. now back to al. if you live in norway you can see it. >> it's been visible in europe as well. pretty cool. >> beautiful. >> thank you very much, natalie. let's check our weather. we have a couple of areas to worry about. we have a severe thunderstorm watch until 11:00 a.m. central time. we are looking at heavy rain, flash flood watches and warnings. tornado watch until 11:00 a.m. central standard time from corpus christi all the way stretching up into parts of oklahoma, little rock, shreveport, dallas, san antonio and anywhere in between could see three to five inches of rain. pacific northwest, we have avalanche warnings, high winds, winter storm advisories and another big storm moving into the pacific northwest from northern california into the pacific northwest. we expect a lot of rain and >> good morning.especially the
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it will turn out to beat a pretty nice day today. we'll be in the upper 40's today. a mixture of sun and clouds. time now for today's money 911. we'll answer some pressing financial questions. time to meet our panel of experts. jean chatzky, "today" financial editor and author of "money 911." david bach author of "debt free for life" and sharon epperson, cnbc's personal finance correspondent. good to see you. >> you, too. >> good morning. >> let's get started with the phone lines first. bedford, new york. this is debbie.
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she's calling in. good morning. debbie. >> good morning, how are you? >> we're doing great. what's your question? >> okay. i'm 53. i would like to go back to school for my master's in social work and work with the elderly. i'm an attorney. i haven't practiced in ten years. i have two kids, one in 11th and one in 10th grade. i have been researching for scholarships or grant money to help me finance my master's and i can't find anything. as my kids go to college soon i have to finance that as well. i feel stuck. any ideas? >> let's see if jean has any. >> go to fastweb.com. it has listings not just for scholarships and grants for undergraduate education but for graduate education as well. the good news is when you go to fill out your form for federal financial student aid it will ask if your kids are in school at the same time. the fact that they are all in at once probably means you will
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qualify for more student loans, more grants and things like that. you should definitely start early. if your kids have special skills or sports, talk to their coaches about how to get the scouts to look at them. >> not just money for debbie. >> you have to look at it as a family affair. >> thank you very much for calling. now to susan from florida checking in on skype. hi, susan. >> good morning. >> good morning. your question? >> my husband and i have managed to pay off five credit cards and feel the need to cancel some because who needs five credit cards? however, we are confused with the advice to not cancel credit cards because it will affect our credit badly. and all of the cards, of course, have high credit limits but -- excuse me, high interest rates. some have high credit limits. what should we do? >> david? >> first of all, congratulations. we need to have you on the show to find out how you paid them
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off. i hate my answer. i would love to say close the cards but if you close them it will impact your fico score, your credit score. it could lower the score by 50 to 7 5 points. there are two major things that credit bureaus look at. your length of credit history and how much available credit you have that you are not using. the fact that you have credit cards with high limits that you're not using is a good thing for your score. the fact that you have a credit history is good for your score. if you're going to close any of the cards close the ones with the small limits and the ones that you took out most recently. that won't impact your credit history length. here's the thing i have to tell you. the biggest risk to keeping the cards open is credit fraud. if you have open cards you're not using you need to check your credit report regularly to make sure nobody else is using it. >> all right. >> annual credit report.com. we talk about it.
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got to love it. >> it's free. >> congratulations on paying off the cards. we have dana from hicksville, ohio. >> good morning. my question is my husband and i purchased two timeshares in the early 90s. they were wonderful. we used them a lot. our kids enjoyed them. our kids have grown. we have children in texas with grandchildren. my parents are in florida. it's something we cannot use. the companies have been sold to other companies and the cost of keeping them have gone up yeef after ye year after year. i wonder if there is another way other than the resale companies to get rid of it? >> you could try troeo rent it it looks like you need town load it. go to the developer, see if they have a resale or buyback program, right of first refusal. you don't want to go to a resale company. but go oa licensed timeshare resale broker.
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go to find one in your area and go to some of the websites that would allow you to sell it on your own. try craigslist or myresortnetwork.com. a lot of people don't think of it because it's hard to sell them is donating it to charity. think about an organization like donate for a cause.org. the tax deduction you will get since it is a charitable organization is you can get the full market value and add to it the other charitable contributions and write off up to 50% of your adjusted gross income. that takes the lahassle out of selling it and you're doing a good thing. >> we looked at the options and none have come through. we contacted the company. we have also contacted organizations to see if they are interested in having them. our credit is good. we have scores over 830 but i read something about a deed in lieu of foreclosure. i don't want to hurt our scores.
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do you have any idea on this? >> i actually think that the first thing you should think about since you don't want to hurt your credit score and that could negatively impact your score is consider donating it to charity. i think that's the first step you should take if you haven't looked at donateforacause.org. >> thank you. >> take care. now to oregon and melanie. good morning. >> caller: good morning. >> your question? >> caller: yes. i'm 55 years old and recently retired on a pension plan which meets my living expenses. i have received a $50,000 inheritance and was thinking of putting half of it toward the principle of my house to have it paid off in eight more years and saving the rest. is this a good idea or should i save it all? >> jean? >> you're playing a little bit of a game here. mortgage rates are low so if you took the money and invested it in your retirement portfolio you might earn more money on the money. but i understand the desire to
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get out of the mortgage before retirement. so i would say if this is something that will enable you to sleep at night, go ahead, save the rest and as you start taking social security and no longer have to make a mortgage payment, save that money. >> melanie, good luck. thank you very much for calling in. we want to thank jean, david and sharon for helping us out. good to see you. coming up next on joy's diet s.o.s., the truth about coffee, fish oil and substitutes. that doesn't sound tasty. later, how to wear winter white with style. first, these messages. means i don't have any margin for error. one wrong turn and i could end up unloaded a puddle of water. woman's voice: turn right ahead. so i make sure i have the right guidance to get me exactly where i need to be. it's the same with taxes. turbo tax has a unique gps feature that guides me step-by-step, so i know it's done right. they even offer representation in case of an audit, and calculations are guaranteed accurate, which helps me reach my maximum refund--guaranteed. man: try turbo tax online now.
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from him! [ mucus ] advil congestion relief. the right relief for the real problem. this morning on jay's diet s.o.s., "today" nutritionist joy bauer is here to talk about the caffeine difference between coffee and tea. mary, good morning to you. >> good morning. >> hi. >> what's your question? >> my question is i'm a nutrition student at the university of pittsburgh. recently a student came up and asked me if drinking black tea instead of coffee will provide
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the same energy without the jitters and anxiety that coffee sometimes does. i was wondering is this something i should recommend to her? >> it depends. caffeine is the ingredient in coffee which gives aus great wake me up experience but also in people who are caffeine sensitive makes them feel jittery and anxious. a cup of black tea has half the amount of caffeine compared to a cup of coffee. so for people who are caffeine sensitive it's a perfect compromise. they get a lift without the side effects. but remember if you drink two, three, four cups of the black tea the caffeine will add up and they could be socked. if they are super sensitive i would say just go straight for a decaffeinated beverage. decaf black or green tea, coffee or herbal tea because herbal tea is naturally decaffeinated. >> all right. >> thank you. >> good luck with your nutrition career. >> exciting.
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let's go to the phone for deb from iowa on the line. what's your question for joy? >> good morning. my question is i would like to begin taking fish oil supplements for health but i'm not sure what sort of supplement to take. i'm looking for something that won't leave me with fishy breath or burping problems. any guidance you could give me would be appreciated. >> great question. when it comes to overall health you want to take about 1,000 milligrams of a fish oil supplement but it needs to be a combination of e.p.a. and d.h.a. and it's simple to look on the label and add up the e.p.a. and d.h.a. and speak with your physician first for the green light. when it comes to disgusting fishy burps there are things you can do to minimize or avoid them. first, buy a brand of fish oil that comes enteric coated. it bypasses the stomach intact
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and doesn't dissolve until it's in the intestines. once it's down there it's not coming up. also keep the bottle in the fridge or freezer because they will go down easier and stay down when they're cold. lastly, take them with or after lunch or dinner. you will be way less likely to have a bad experience. >> deb, thank you for the question. a lot of bottles say "no fish burps" right on it. >> that's terrific. >> jess writes, are packaged egg substitutes as good to eat as real egg whites? what's in them? >> yes. they are a convenient way for people looking to save calories who don't feel like cracking open and splaeparating a whole . egg beaters are 99% egg whites with a splash of beta carotene to give it the color and extra
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nutrients. people looking for something pure without the extra nutrients, right next to the egg substitutes you can find 100% just egg whites. that's all they are. both are terrific options. >> our last question is a good one. on days that i eat a full breakfast i tend to eat more all day. i usually just have a latte in the morning. is that enough to get my metabolism going? if i eat breakfast how do i avoid overeating all day? >> people who do not eat breakfast regularly experience this. it's mainly psychological, i think. if the nonfat latte does it for her, fuels the a.m. appetite, fine. if she wants to eat a traditional breakfast like oatmeal or yogurt and fruit, write on a piece of paper a formal menu for the day. everything she'll eat. commit to sticking with it. sometimes just knowing what you're going to eat and when is enough to keep you on track and keep your appetite in check. >> okay. if you have the discipline to
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plan ahead. it's hard. >> the nonfat latte is good, too. >> thank you very much. if you have more questions for joy she'll chat live on facebook at 3:00 eastern time today. log on to talk to joy personally. you can follow her daily weight loss tips on today.com. still to come, "bridesmaids" star and oscar nominee melissa mccarthy. why she's america's newest sweet heart. after these messages. when it comes to home insurance, surprises can be a little scary. and a little costly. that's why the best agents present their clients with a lot of options. because when it comes to what's covered and what's not, nobody likes surprises. [ click ] [ chuckles ] we totally thought -- [ all scream ] obscure space junk falling from the sky? we cover that. moving on. aah, aah, aah, aah. [ male announcer ] we are insurance. ♪ we are farmers ♪ bum, ba-da-bum, bum, bum, bum ♪ metamucil uses super hard working psyllium fiber,
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coming up, how to wear those winter whites. >> and we'll spice up your life with an italian favorite. >> after your local news. id gol. my insides? pure platinum. [ female announcer ] a healthy outside starts inside. new iams simple & natural has chicken as its number one ingredient and zero fillers. it works inside for health you can see on the outside. [ dog ] i can't be a rockstar on the outside if i'm not one on the inside. [ female announcer ] new iams naturals. you'll like what's in them and love what's not. [ dog ] i am an iams dog. [ girls ] he's so cute! [ dog ] groupies! diarrhea, gas or bloating? get ahead of it! one phillips' colon health probiotic cap a day helps defend against digestive issues with three strains of good bacteria. hit me! [ female announcer ] live the regular life. phillips'. you... colorful... soft...] live the regular life. and totally irresistible. your lip butter? likewise.
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♪ marilyn monroe is a hollywood icon. do you know she never won an academy award? now michelle williams has been nominated for on as kor for playing the blond bombshell in "my week with marilyn." we'll chat with michelle williams about how she captured marilyn so perfectly and get her reaction to her third oscar nomination tomorrow on "today." she's hugely talented. >> what a career. >> i adore everything she's in. coming up this half hour we'll be talking about winter whites. yes, you can wear white after labor day.
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it's how you do it which makes it work. how do you make it appropriate for the season? we'll show you what works and what doesn't even with pieces that may already be in your closet. >> maybe save you some money. >> it's been a breakout year for melissa mccarthy. she had us falling over with laughter when she hosted snl and now is nominated for an oscar for her role in "bridesmaids." >> ew, every time i see that scene. >> we'll make a transition. putting flavors together you may not expect. >> don't put in the whole bottle. >> how about toasted pasta? we'll learn how to give your favorite italian dishes a little mexican spice. we want to remind you we are putting together the next book of al's book club for kids kids. if you have kids between 9 and 12 who love to read and live in the new york city area we hope they would make a great addition
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to our in studio group. go to today.com. >> ages 9 to 12. we're out, natalie. >> i have a lot of friends with 9 to 12-year-olds. a check of the weather first? >> absolutely. we show you what's happening for today. sunshine along the eastern seaboard. more rain from the pacific northwest with mountain snows, heavy thunderstorms, a possibility of tornados in the lower mississippi river valley. tomorrow the rain continues to spread to the east into the midatlantic states and also the lower gulf coast. more rain but not as heavy in the pacific northwest. sunny but frigid in new england. warm from the southwest to southern california. >> good morning. the temperature will be cooler than yesterday but it will be nice for this time of year. a mixture of sun and clouds.
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and that's your latest weather. >> thanks, al. up next, afraid to wear white? well, don't be. we'll show you how to wear winter white with style after this. ♪ ♪ [ female announcer ] take the special k challenge. lose up to six pounds in two weeks. get your free, delicious personalized plan at specialk.com. what will you gain when you lose? at specialk.com. introducing olive garden's new three course italian dinner for $12.95. start with either unlimited homemade soup or our fresh crisp salad, and all the warm breadsticks you want.
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then, enjoy one of five new specially created entrees, like our smoked mozzarella chicken or five cheese marinara with shrimp. finish up with one of five desserts. like our chocolate mousse. our new three course italian dinner, just $12.95. try it tonight at your olive garden when you're here, you're family. if you have painful, swollen joints, i've been in your shoes. one day i'm on top of the world... the next i'm saying... i have this thing called psoriatic arthritis. i had some intense pain. it progressively got worse. my rheumatologist told me about enbrel. i'm surprised how quickly my symptoms have been managed. [ male announcer ] because enbrel suppresses your immune system, it may lower your ability to fight infections. serious, sometimes fatal events including infections, tuberculis, lymphoma, other cancers, and nervous system and blood disorders have occurred. before starting enbrel, your doctor should test you for tuberculosis and discuss whether you've been to a region where certain fungal infections are common. don't start enbrel if you have an infection like the flu.
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tell your doctor if you're prone to infections, have cuts or sores, have had hepatitis b, have been treated for heart failure, or if, while on enbrel, you experience persistent fever, bruising, bleeding, or paleness. get back to the things that matter most. ask your rheumatologist if enbrel is right for you. [ male announcer ] enbrel. the #1 biologic medicine prescribed by rheumatologists. guys... [ female announcer ] pillsbury cinnamon rolls with cinnabon cinnamon are an irresistible sunday morning idea. nothing calls them to the table faster.
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this morning on today's style, summer is not the only time of year you can pull off wearing white. the style editor from lucky magazine has ideas for brightening up winter with the white clothes you have already or perhaps accessorizing with new pieces. laurie, good morning. >> thank you. >> a lot of people fear white after labor day. that was the golden rule but it's gone. >> eliminate that from the fashion vocabulary. you can wear it. in our first little segment we'll show you how to go to your closet. >> shop what you already own. >> exactly. you can buy affordable things to winterize the whites. first this is a summer dress. a lot of people have them in the closet.
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we have decided to take different fabrics and textures. that's a faux shearling vest from macy's. everything you see is under $100. you want textures and fabrics. >> and layering. >> the turtle neck on the mannequin is under $20. it's made of a special tech to keep you just as warm. it's not bulky. the bag is $10. from jc penney. >> nice to have the tights to keep you warm with boots. >> don't show too much skin when doing summer white into winter. >> here you have the white oxford shirt from the closet. >> we have accessorized it with a sweater from kmart for $16. >> wow. >> a fun necklace and button your shirt to the top. looks chic, preppy. keeps you warm.
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a pair of h & m jeans and boots from joe fresh. >> also winter white pants. if you're buying something, perhaps that's the way to go. you can wear this day or night. right? >> exactly. we wanted to throw down the gauntlet and prove it. we bought the model the same pair of white pants. these are $59.99, affordable. >> beautiful. >> we did a day look on jennifer. because the pants are white, so white, we wanted to find beige, caramel tones to winterize that look. so we gave her an h & m sweater in a beautiful camel color and the faux fur. again with the fabric that's how you drive home the winter vibe. a bag from h & m finished with a belt. in that color wheel she looks very warm, cozy, caramel. >> casual but office appropriate as well. >> exactly. with we took it to night time with megan who looks sexy.
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>> chic. >> this is an alternative to the little black dress. when you're doing a look like this keep it very graphic. let the white pants be the focal point. we gave her a top from zara, an aldo clutch and the patent leather pumps are from payless. the white pants are the standout. >> looks like a couple thousand dollar outfit. amazing. you both look amazing. well done. you can wear winter white pants year round. >> let me show you. >> if you're still afraid you can't pull it off like you lovely ladies do you can accessorize. >> this is an easy way to work the trend. this is very hot right now carrying into spring. everything is under $50. here's the point about accessories. when you're doing this, the bag is from aldo with the faux sh r shearling. it has a brasy, chrome gold and the necklace that's creamy beige
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also with gold. that's what you want. think creamy, beige white. go with gold. stark whites on this bag from old navy and the cuff from banana republic, they go with silver. don't do stark white with gold because that reads summer. beige cream with gold, beautiful and stark white with rhinestones or silvers and keep it really, you know, stark and snow cream, ice princess. >> learn something new today. laur laurie, thank you so much. you changed my mind on winter whites. >> congrats. >> up next, a look at one of america's favorite funny women, melissa mccarthy. first, these messages. another way that reveals the lighter, mellower side of our roast. being blonde is nothing new but blonde roast is something new. something subtle. something soft. something with 40 years
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here's a better idea... pillsbury grands! flaky layers biscuits. in just 15 minutes, the light delicate layers add a layer of warmth to your next dinner. pillsbury grands! dinner ideas made easy. no problem. man: do your simple return with the turbo tax federal free edition, and now get our free one-on-one expert tax advice live by phone or chat. get the federal free edition at turbotax.com. [ male announcer ] what if we could keep enough plastic waste to cover all of manhattan out of landfills each year? the equivalent of 140 million trash bags, gone. by using new glad trash bags, designed with reinforcing bands to be stronger with less plastic waste, we can. ♪ it's a small change that can make a big difference. ♪
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>> reporter: "bridesmaids" was the breakout comedy of 2011. [ belches ] >> i want to apologize. i don't know which end that came out of. >> i need the toilet! >> reporter: even mccarthy never dreamed it would win her more than laughs. she said she she wasn't watching the announcements. >> you don't think a puking scene will get you an oscar nomination. that's not usually how it works. >> reporter: hollywood's most hallowed award rarely awards comedy at all. in the past decade, only six comedies have been nominated for best picture "bridesmaids" is up for best original screenplay. >> all this oscar talk for "bridesmaids" has to make you feel good. >> it's great. i felt like, just get a comedy in there. i would love for the movie to be recognized. >> reporter: audiences adored the almost all female cast, especially mccarthy. >> there is something about melissa's performance in "bridesmaids" that's so completely fearless.
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from the second you see her character in the movie you know this is not going to be the typical sidekick character. she brings such a uniqueness. she's so gutsy, funny, outrageous. >> reporter: the golden globe winner will be walking the oscar red carpet with meryl streep and glenn close, but she's not your typical starlet. >> i'm from illinois and i'm standing here and it's amazing. >> reporter: mccarthy won an emmy in 2011 for her role as molly in "mike and molly" but fame as forced her to address controversy after a magazine writer blogged she was grossed out to watch two characters with roles of fat kissing each other mccarthy said, what a sad, troubled person. you're making such a judgment on people. she joked about her weight on snl in october. the mother of two, mccarthy is married to ben falcone who
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played the object of her airborne affections in "bridesmaids." >> do you feel the heat coming? >> reporter: the new oscar nominee can as mccarthy's star gets hotter. for "today," kristen dahlgren, nbc news, los angeles. and coming up next in today's kitchen, meat balls with a mexican twist. how to add south of the border flavor to your italian favorites. first, this is "today" on nbc.
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something and shaking up what we normally make. >> absolutely. this is a uniquely mexican way of cooking pasta. it adds great flavor. these are fideos. you can buy them at a mexican market already broken up or take vermicelli or spaghetti, whatever uh you have and break it up. >> you put the kids to work. >> this is a great job for the kids. >> how do we toast it? >> i put it in the oven on 400 degrees. you have to watch because it happens fairly quickly. we toast it to golden brown. >> that's the color it comes out? >> yeah. adds a nice nutty flavor to pasta and different depth. >> right. >> so then we have heavy cream here. we'll make it with saffron cream. you could use regular spaghetti sauce if you want to. i'm adding saffron to the cream. let it simmer. >> that gives it the golden color? >> that's exactly what happens.
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it's already starting to get the golden color. >> look at that. >> we let it simmer for a few minutes. then we add it to garlic we have softening here. nice and golden brown. >> low flame. >> you don't want to burn the garlic or it gets bitter. >> we don't want to get bitter. there is enough bitterness in our lives. >> absolutely. this is all about fun. so we let it simmer until it's reduced and that takes three or four minutes. what we have here is the reduced cream. you see it's become a beautiful bright yellow color. >> right. >> i have added the noodles to it until they're cooked through. >> so you cook the noodles in the sauce. >> yes. it's a unique way, different from italian cooking. you don't drain the liquid out. you cook it in the liquid like rice. >> makes its own sauce right there. >> the starch from the pasta thickens everything. >> you're putting it on a baking sheet. >> i am.
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i'll put it in the oven again and broil the top a little bit so you get a nice krischririspyg on top. >> you have a nice mix of textures in there. >> exactly. >> what's going on back here? i'm taking this with me. >> okay. i have meatballs here. this is a mixture of pork, veal and beef. >> you could make it with ground turkey. >> absolutely you could. certainly. it would be great with this sauce with turkey as well. for this purpose as we do at the restaurant we do beef and it has garlic, onion and a little bit of cotija cheese which is aged mexican cheese. >> nice. so you saute it up. >> saute it up. the nice thing, too, is you can freeze them in the sauce. save them for the super bowl. >> so what are we putting in here to get the sauce started?
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>> i have a roasted onion, roasted to golden brown and roasted garlic. i will add the tomatoes. it's not really tomato season so i will add canned tomatoes. >> all right. >> i'm adding chipotle chili which is a smoked jalapeno. >> what spices? >> mexican oregano episote, cilantro, cumin and allspice. >> wow, that smells good. i love the cinnamon and cumin combination. >> add the meat balls to it. >> nice. oh, man. that smells good. you serve it over rice? >> over rice. >> you could serve it over pasta? >> right on top of that pasta. >> now you're talking. >> that's a little mini platter of heaven. natalie's plate. >> we share here on "today" show. ivy, thank you so much. recipes are on today.com. >> coming up, kathie lee and
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