good morning. bouncing back? a new jobs report out this morning is expected to bring good news for the struggling economy, but how much higher will gas prices go and could that derail the recovery? guilty. a form los angeles police detective convicted of mdering a romantic rival. the break in the case that took 26 years to solve. whitney's final moments. a member of whitney's inner circle who was in the hotel room as people tried to save her opens up in an exclusive live interview, today, friday, march opens up in an exclusive live interview, today, friday, march 9, 2012.

captions paid for by nbc-universal television welcome to "today" on this friday morning. i'm ann curry. >> i'm carl quintanilla in for matt this morning. economists are cautiously optimistic ahead of jobs numbers coming out. >> even if it shows growth the celebration could be muted by concerns over gas prices. they have jumped 30 cents in the past month and are settithreate to set a new record high this summer. this morning we'll hear from the ceo of exxon mobile about this. >> and it's scary when you kids get sick and you're not sure why. one couple knew something was wrong with their 3-year-old. she had swallowed not one, not two but 37 magnets and was in

desperate need of surgery. she'll be here with her parents. >> they must have been frightened by that. and also this morning an internet campaign that keeps growing. we told you about kony 2012 on thursday when it had more than 20 million hits on youtube. this morning it's up to 50 million hits. this just in the past few days. with the publicity comes good news for the creator and his organization. he'll be here live for an interview. >> we begin with the economy and what we can expect from the jobs number this morning. jim cramer, host of cnbc's "mad money" is here. >> good morning, carl. >> jobless claims for unemployment. close to a three-year low. do you think the good news will continue today? >> i do. the data indicate it s the firi are going down and hirings are coming up. that's what we need for a good number today. >> we're managing expectations, especially for the white house.

data has been good. if it's not good today are we once again going into the wrong direction? >> there are good rs tos at work. lots of firing in automobile, oil and gas, in retail. that should continue the pace all year. don't forget, housing could be getting better for once. >> the strong spots have been largely in energy, oil and gas. where has it not kept pace? where are jobs weakest? >> government hiring and services, particularly the banks which are continuing to lay off people. >> let's talk about the markets drifting higher after a rough day on tuesday, worst day of the year. where do you see us going from here and how much do we have to worry about greece? >> greece is in better shape. i'll tell people please don't listen to them. we're better. it's oil, carl. that's the wild card. if we could get oil down from $126 we could see the pumps stabilize. that's the only thing that could

derail the recovery. >> we'll hear matt talk to the ceo of exxon mobil in a little bit. if gas continues to go higher, how much of a head wind does it put on this economy? >> so much of the economy is retail sales. two-thirds of the economy is not manufacturing but service. that gets hit. if we see gasoline go to five, that's a terrible magic number. you won't hear about hiring. you will hear about layoffs. >> the average is $3.76 or so. where is the pain threshold on gas? >> historically it's $4 to $4.25. we have never seen the $5 level. iran and israel. got to watch that. it's a supply disruption. demand is okay. if you see a supply disruption you will see hard gasoline prices. >> you can watch "mad money" weeknights at 6:00 and 11:00 on

cnbc. >> now to the presidential race. kansas holds caucuses tomorrow, but the gop candidates are devoting most of their time to next tuesday's critical primaries in alabama and mississippi. peter alexander is in jackson, mississippi withore on this. good morning. >> reporter: ann, good morning to you. this is the deep south, a place that mitt romney is not expected to do well. it should be friendly territory for republicans. they have had the home field advantage for years. he described it yesterday admitting it feels like an away game. his opponents who have strong appeal among evangelical christians and folks who describe themselves as conservative are looking to capitalize. mitt romney wasn't born on a bayou but in mississippi thursday night he introduced himself as an adopted son of the south. accepting the endorsement of the state's governor phil bryant. >> he's turning me into an unofficial southerner.

i say y'all and i like grits. strange things are happening. >> he has blue jeans on. he likes grits. i like a man holding a baby. >> reporter: not just one, but three. here in the deep south, rick santorum is fighting a two-front war, trying to knock out newt gingrich while he chases romney whose advisers insisted the delegate math showed the former massachusetts governor has a nearly insurmountable lead. >> governor romney is out there trying to spin this thing because he's not been able to win it on the battlefield. >> reporter: thursday, santorum admitted regretting some of his most controversial choices of words, crediting karen for reeling him back in after this comment at the president for wanting young people to go to college. >> what a snob. >> usually the phone rings quickly. you know, rick, you shouldn't have said that. the snob comment didn't go over well.

she reminded me, it's snobbish. you can say it was a snobbish thing to say, but don't call him a snob. i made a mistake. >> reporter: he asked for prayers for having said this about one of president kennedy's speeches on the separation of church and state. >> that makes you throw up. >> obviously the language i used was, at a minimum, inarticulate. [ laughter ] >> i'll speak out. pray for me that i do so more articulately in the future. >> reporter: despite calls for him to exit the race newt gingrich predicts another victory in the south. >> with your help next tuesday, when we win here and in alabama we'll be back up again. >> reporter: this week, gingrich, the self-proclaimed cheerful candidate took his wife for a spin on the dance floor. >> they happened to have a good local band at the hotel. it was really just a few hours of relaxation. we took about a two-hour

vacation from the campaign. >> reporter: an unusual show of affection for the former house speaker and his wife. what did they dance to? we have the band's play list. "all my loving" by the beatles, "california girls" by the beach boys and by special request "rocket man" by elton john. >> peter, thank you. by the way, rick santorum will be one of the guests this sunday on "meet the press." once again here's carl. >> the price of gas is one of the hot button issues on the campaign trail. they are at the highest level in nearly a year and climbing. matt sat down with the ceo of exxon mobil to talk about how high prices could go. >> as we sit here today, the price of an average gallon of gas is $3.76, 36 cents from the all-time high. short-term will the prices

remain stable? do you see them going higher? >> what drove prices up is entirely the crude oil price. 88% of the pump price people see is due to the cost of crude oil and state and federal taxes. then you have a small margin for refiners, distributors and marketers. so the answer to the question is if crude prices go up, gasoline prices will go up. supply and demand is fine. what's led to the most recent run-up, obviously concerns about the rhetoric over the closing of the straits of hormuz and conflicts with iran. >> let me give you scenarios. in iran, if israel and the united states attacked iran's nuclear facilities, what would be the overnight impact on the price of oil and gas? >> it would be fairly immediate and it would be highly volatile. it would largely be driven by what the response was and whether that resulted in an actual physical disruption of

the supply of oil to the market. >> so the other situation or scenario people talk about, if in an act of defiance iran were to attempt to close the strait of hormuz what would be the impact on prices? >> immediate volatile reactions if the straits were closed. one thing people should understand and appreciate about the global supply chain through the iran and iraq wars, libyan civil war, when we have hurricanes you get spikes in price and then the supply chain sorts it out and begins to serve the markets. >> people like to grab a number. right now a lot of people are talking about $5 a gallon coming up in the summer driving months. is that just a headline or is it a realistic number? >> i look at just the supply and demand fundamentals, i would not expect to see prices reach that level. again, the unknown here is if the market's view of the

political risk, if the rhetoric gets more heated. if there is a problem somewhere else in the world that flares up it could drive prices up further. >> as we sit here and talk, it's a political year. there is an election in november. one of the candidates on the republican side, newt gingrich, is promising he can deliver gasoline at $2.50. is he being truthful with the american public, in your opinion? >> i haven't seen his specific plan for doing that. i guess the thing that might concern me would be would you be taking short-term action simply to achieve a short-term result that could, in fact, be detrimental to the longer term security of energy, moderate pricing of energy for the country. so i would be cautious and dramatic actions to get the near term. >> you haven't seen the specifics of the plan but as ceo of the largest oil company when you are talking about a guy who could be president of the united

states and have dramatic impact on policy why not dig into that program? >> i just haven't seen it, matt. >> she's calling to open up everything for exploration and drilling. just the thought of all that available oil might bring prices down. >> i have never tried to predict prices. with our own natural resources we do influence the market by having supplies that are stable, not subject to geopolitical interruption. the jobs that are created are staying here. >> that's matt with exxon mobil ceo rex tillerson. >> natalie is at the news desk. >> good morning, everyone. police are investigating a deadly shooting at a pittsburgh psychiatric clinic. on thursday, a man armed with two semiautomatic handguns burst

into the clinic lobby opening fire, killing one and wounding at least six others. the gunman was shot dead apparently by police. there is no motive but it appear it is gunman acted alone. u.n. special envoy to syria kofi ananne heads to syria this week. opposition leaders say they cannot hold talks while president asad massacres his people. nato and afghan officials signed an 11th hour deal to transferral control of u.s. detention facilities in afghanistan to the government there within six months. the issue had long been contentious as relations grow tense between the u.s. and afghanistan. a chic area in paris had to be evacuated thursday due to a fire. black smoke billowed after an underground parking garage

caught fire. it took 90 firefighters to battle the blaze. dozens were treated for smoke inhalation and 15 luxury cars were destroyed. iditarod racers would do anything for their dogs. when one of the dogs collapsed on the trail, he gave him mouth to muzzle and saved the dog's life. marshall is a veteran of six races and is recovering well. he gets to go home now. we have been there when good reporting goes bad. canadian tv reporter kent molgat was on the trail of a lawyer who didn't want to talk when he ran into a sign pole. it hurts every time you watch it. even the guy trying to escape stopped to make sure he was okay. kent kept his eye on the story instead of the road. >> ooh! >> that hurts even more in slow

mo. back to ann, carl and al. >> i have a feeling the tape will be played over and over again. >> that hurts. >> thank you. meantime, mr. roker is here to talk about the weekend. >> we'll start in hawaii. they have been getting hammereo. some areas up to 35 inches of rain in the last week. flood watches and warnings for the all -- islands except the big island of hawaii. could pick up another ten inches of rain in the mountains through saturday. that's rough. that sale moisture streaming up into british columbia, we are going to be looking at wet weather in the pacific northwest as well. extreme pacific northwestern coast and anywhere from 1 to 3 inches of rain over the next 24 hours. that's what's going on around the country. here's what's happening in your neck of the woods. >> good morning. here are the sky is brightening after overnight rain that washed some of the pollen out of the air that jumped yesterday with the warm and windy weather. now we are drying out and it is getting colder, too. we have a still mostly cloudy

sky. temperatures are down into the 40s throughout most of the region now. reagan national is at 48. and it is even colder out in the mountains and in the 30s. later today we should climb back into the 40s and 50s and maybe even a few locations up near 60 in virginia. that's your latest weather. ann? >> al, thanks. now to the cleanup and recovery in japan nearly a year after the earthquake and tsunami that rocked that country. we are seeing stunning images of what the hardest hit areas looked like then and now. ian williams has the latest. good morning. >> reporter: good morning, ann. communities all along this devastated coast are marking the anniversary with sadness, but also with a determination to rebuild their lives. never has the natural disaster been so well documented in all its raw horror. this was the ter fieg moment the tsunami crashed into the fishing

port of kesenumma. a year later and this is the same intersection. much of the town was reduced to twisted piles of debris which largely have been cleared now, leaving a barren wasteland. it's a similar scene along the coast where almost 20,000 people are gone. this was sendai airport last year and this is today. >> you see the debris mountain. >> reporter: the remains of towns have been scooped up and piled into vast mountains which will take years to get rid of. the tsunami generated the equivalent of 19 years of trash in the worst areas. over half a million buildings were destroyed or damaged. the government wants to spread the debris across the country. so far, only three areas have volunteered to take any. in the meantime, the mountains just get bigger.

survivors live in temporary homes. there is no blueprint for rebuilding yet. few towns were hit harder than minamisanriku where water funneled down the valley. 80% of the fishing fleet was destroyed. for the first time since the disaster, boats are back at sea farming seaweed for which the town was famous. that's been made possible by new processing gear under a project supported by the u.s. charity mercy corps which created jobs for 200 people. [ speaking in a foreign language ] >> reporter: it's a start, hiroko told me. she lost her husband and her home in the tsunami. >> it's going to take a long time to rebuild. but i think what we see now a year later is just a really resilient community that's coming back together again. >> reporter: a community determined to rebuild their lives. as they plan for the future,

perhaps the most important asset they have here is the incredible spirit of the people who lived through that disaster. ann? >> ian williams, thank you so much. it's amazing to look at those images. he's absolutely right. we saw that hours after this happened. >> 19 years of debris and trash in one fell swoop. amazing. >> half a million buildings destroyed. and then the way to generate lech trelectricity will have to. they are not going nuclear again. >> just ahead, for the first time we're going to hear from someone who was in whitney houston's hotel room as people were rushing to try to save her. a member of the singer's inner circle opens up in an exclusive live interview coming up. but first, this is "today" on nbc.

just ahead, a saga out of "desperate housewives." nicollette sheridan, long-time character on the show, had nothing to do with her case but one of the upcoming plot lines. >> also, the 3-year-old girl who nearly died after swallowing 37 tiny magnets. it's any parent's nightmare. her parents didn't know until they saw her x-ray. imagine their shock. we'll talk to farnthe parents a get to meet her after your local news and weather. i've discovered gold. [ female announcer ] the gold standard in anti-aging. roc® retinol. found in roc® retinol correxion deep wrinkle night cream. it's clinically proven to give 10 years back to the look of skin. now for maximum results, the power of roc® retinol is intensified with a serum

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veterans and their families. now more than ever, it's important to get financial advice from people who share your military values. call now for our free guide and tips on planning for your retirement this tax season. good morning. 7:26 this friday, march 9. messy start to the morning commute. >> i'm still tracking the accident affecting the eastbound lanes of the dulles toll road. the crash is at i-6 6. we have been watching this all morning long. delays are growing. right now you are at 7 miles per hour as you pass route 123. and you are just jammed. and you are passing the crash single file to the right. just be where of that as you are making your commute. traveling on i-95, not seeing much of an issue at back lilick road. >> wet start to the morning as well.

whatcha lookin' for hon? ah, these new jeans i want. i've been looking everywhere. new blue jeans? oh, don't be crazy, i've got tons of blue jeans. frank! frank! get my jean bin, susie wants my jeans. no she doesn't. here we go. nice and loose. ohhh. those are loose, but i actually just ordered three pairs of this kind. ooooohhhh. oh. when it's on your mind, it's on ebay. chill kwli -- chilly start to this friday. down to the low to mid 40s

around the metro area and points west north. chillier later today, into the 50s to near 60 with lots of sun and clear and cold tonight. and a chilly day saturday with sunshine and sunday a bit warmer after a cold start. >> thank you, tom. another update for new about 25 minutes or so.

7:30 now on this friday morning. it's the 9th day of march 2012. it's not going to be nearly as warm today as it was on thursday in the northeast. but that didn't bother the people gathered on our corner of rockefeller plaza this morning. nice crowd. apparently a spring break rash of crowds. meantime i'm ann curry alongside carl quintanilla who's in for matt who is taking an extra day off. nice to have you here. >> thank you. >> for the first time today, someone who was inside whitney houston's hotel room as efforts were made to save her speaks out. we'll talk to her.

she was part of whitney's inner circle. >> also new drama at nicollette sheridan's "desperate housewives" trial as one of her costars was called to the stand. what he had to say and the show's plot twist that was accidentally revealed to gasps in the courtroom. >> we'll talk about the cause of a 3-year-old girl's stomach ache that turned out to be the fact that she'd swallowed 37 magnets. it turned into a life-threatening situation. her parents didn't realize it until they saw the x-rays. coming up, they will all share their story. and the creator of the kony 2012 campaign that's amassed 50 million hits in the past few days. we'll join us for a live interview coming up. >> we begin with the verdict in a 26-year-old cold case. a former los angeles police detective found guilty of first-degree murder in the 1986 killing of her ex-boyfriend's wife. josh mankiewicz has details from

los angeles. good morning. >> reporter: good morning. who's the most likely suspect in a murder case and who's the least likely? this is the story of a police department that first got those answers wrong, and then got them right. after 26 years, the lapd closed a cold case murder, but it brought them little joy because the killer was one of their own. stephanie lazarus, one of the lapd's own detectives, on trial for murder. and the verdict? >> guilty of the crime of murder of sherry rasmussen. >> reporter: the victim's family saw justice finally delivered. >> it's a tremendous relief. >> reporter: down the street at police head quarters, the reaction was more muted. >> well, i'm very pleased. but it's bittersweet. >> reporter: lapd chief charlie beck. >> we would have rather this had not been a los angeles police detective, that's for sure.

i have known stephanie for a lot of years. >> reporter: the details were shocking. in 1986, then a jup ynior patro officer, lazarus stalked and murdered the new wife of her former boyfriend. lazarus was beaten, bitten and shot to death. at the time detectives thought it was a botched robbery. rasmussen's parents begged detectives to investigate lazarus, their daughter's romantic rival. >> i told the detective not once but probably 15 to 20 times and he said, the trouble with you is you have been watching too much tv. >> reporter: the break came when saliva from the bite on sherry's body was sent in for dna analysis. no match, but it revealed the killer was a woman. in 2009 another lapd detective took a fresh look at the file and soon zeroed in on lazarus. a dna sample from lazarus,

secretly taken from a soda straw, matched the dna in sherry's bite mark. days later, homicide detectives pulled lazarus into a room and began hitting her with questions about the case. >> did you have a fight with her? >> you're accusing me of this? is that what you're saying? >> we're trying to figure out what happened, stephanie. >> reporter: lazarus could be in prison the rest of her life. >> state law requires that lazarus be sentenced to life with the possibility of parole. sentencing is set for may 4. carl? >> josh mankiewicz in los angeles. thanks. you can see more on "dateline" tonight at 10:00/9:00 central time on nbc. now a check of the weather from al. >> thank you, carl. we have a gorgeous day here. a lot of folks in for the big basketball game. go irish. in albuquerque, new mexico, things got a little bit dusty. take a look at this.

it's -- visibility is reduced to zero along the interstates there shutting down roads for a while. should be much better today. as we check much better today. we check out what's happening for today. we will show you we have afternoon temperatures in the 30s and 40s through new england, 20s up through the plains. and 40s down through texas where we got some snow in parts of western texas. mice and warm down in southern florida. you see those showers now through the gulf coast and plenty of sunshine out west. rain moves into the pasks northwest and snow around the central and eastern great lakes. that's what's going on around the country. here's what's happening in your neck of the woods. >> good morning. 7:35. the sky beginning to brighten a bit. still a lot of clouds around, though in the wake of the overnight rain exiting much of maryland and virginia. is still a little bit along the lower bay and lower eastern shore. increasing sunshine later today. it is quite chilly now. we are in the mid to low 40s throughout most of the region. upper 30s farther west and north. and later today, with that increasing sunshine, we will climb back into the 50s to near

60. then winds diminishing, too. clear, cold tonight. chilly day tomorrow and that's your latest weather. ann? >> al, thanks. nearly a month after whitney houston's death, investigators are trying to determine an officially cause. now for the first time we're hearing what was going on inside her hotel room. we'll talk to a woman who was there in just a moment. but first, nbc's tamron hall has details. tamron, good morning. >> good morning. tiffany dixon is a hollywood hair stylist who's used to being around celebrities, but when whitney houston invited her into their t inner circle the two developed a deeper relationship than just employer and employee. by 2006 whitney houston's once shining star had faded. it had been 11 years since she had recorded a number one single. rumors of drug use and rehab visits filled the tabloids. and her marriage to bobby brown

was in shambles. >> amazing person. >> reporter: but to tiffany dixon, whitney houston was like royalty. >> i would listen to her music and she was just america's princess. >> reporter: houston hired dixon to be her hair stylist in 2006 and is shown in these pictures licensed by nbc news, dixon stayed with whitney houston as the singer rebuilt her life after divorcing bobby brown. ♪ i look to you >> reporter: with a world tour in 2010 -- >> i know y'all don't love each other that much. >> reporter: and her first movie role in years in 2011, houston was finding her groove. >> that was the beginning of the comeback -- well, a come through. we talked about it and she said, i never went anywhere. i'm coming through something. >> reporter: on the eve of the grammys last month dixon arrived at houston's hotel room to get ready for a party.

she said she saw houston's body on the floor after others had pulled it from the bathtub. >> i saw that she was unresponsive and i immediately turned around to get help. >> reporter: you saw her there? >> from afar, yes. i did. >> reporter: in the chaos that followed, dixon tried to comfort houston's daughter in the hallway. >> she said, what's going on? >> reporter: was she in shock? >> very much so. >> reporter: since houston's death dixon has tried to forget the painful day in february and focus on the joy of knowing whitney. >> when you see the picture of her in a leopard dress and she's just beautiful. >> smiling. >> reporter: are you proud? >> happy i could be part of making her smile. >> just days before her death houston went back into the recording studio to work on a new song for the "sparkle" sound

track. her last work as a singer and actress. it will be released, ann, in august. >> thank you so much, tamron hall. tiffany dixon joins us exclusively. i know it was hard to watch that. you got very emotional. good morning. thank you for being here. what doesn't the public know about whitney houston that over six years you got to see? >> she was an amazing person. outside of the music she was fun-loving. she loved people unconditionally. if she loved you, she loved you unconditionally. she was an amazing person. spiritually sound. i had the pleasure of working with her for some time. it's been an amazing journey with her. >> what was her state of mind in those days leading up to the grammys? >> she was happy. she was joyful. you know, she seemed pretty

happy with with herself. the movie is coming out. she did it. it was successful. she enjoyed doing it. >> you were actually with her two nights before her death as she was singing with kelly price. i wondered what she said about the gossip afterwards that she had been behaving erratically. there were even some suggestions of blood on her legs. how did she react to that? >> she really didn't react. she doesn't pay attention to those things. but like anyone those things can hurt a person. you know, when you're in such a high profile person and someone's saying things about you that are untrue, i'm sure with anyone that it would be hurtful. >> she never mentioned anything about that but you know she knew about it. >> absolutely. >> on the day that she died, contrary to published reports you actually were not the one to

discover without's body. >> no. >> but you said in the piece you rushed to help, to make sure 911 was called. >> i did. >> describe what we understand was chaos in the room. describe that. >> i wouldn't say chaos. everything just happened so fast. i was due to report to work. we were doing a party that evening. i heard something as i was going in the direction i needed to go. i was instructed to call for help. that's what i did. >> you comforted bobbi kristina, she comforted you. >> absolutely. she did. she comforted me. >> did she know what was going on as she comforted you? >> she didn't know what was going on. >> at what point do you think she understood? >> i don't quite know at what point she understood all that. that was a lot to deal with. >> sure. did it appear as you saw whitney from afar, as you mentioned in

tamron's story, that anything could have been done to save her? >> i didn't -- at that moment all i could think about was find someone to help. because i didn't know what was going on exactly at all. >> a lot of people want to know why whitney died. you still don't have an official report. do you know why she died? or if there was anything that she was doing that might have put her health at risk? >> no, not at all. she was happy that day. we were going to go to the party. we talked about looks and what she was going to wear. those sorts of things. i'm her hair stylist. we talked about her looks and what we were going to do for the evening. she seemed happy that day. >> present, aware? she had no side effects of anything that would indicate -- >> not at all.

>> -- something she was doing. >> not at all. >> in terms of bobbi kristina now, because you have developed a relationship with whitney's daughter, i don't want to pry, but what can you tell us, people who are worried now about her, how she's -- >> i have not been in contact with her that much. i'm sure the family is with her and i'm sure everyone is comforting her. she has strong people around her. that's what she needs. i'm sure every day will be different. she's still a child, still a baby. and she's lost her mom. all you can do is pray for her and hope she surrounds herself with positive people and that every day will be different. she'll be okay. >> tiffany dixon, thank you for being here to speak out for whitney houston. thanks for joining us. >> okay. >> just ahead, we're going to make a turn and meet the man behind the movement that has exploded on youtube this week, but also coming up next one of

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back at 7:46. the wrongful termination lawsuit

by former "desperate housewives" star nicolette sher clette sher entering its final days. one of the other cast members took the stand on thursday. mike taibbi is in los angeles with the latest. good morning. >> reporter: good morning. it wasn't one of the female stars but one of the supporting players like sheridan herself who testified on behalf of cherry. bottom line nothing that happened to sheridan or her character seemed out of the ordinary. on the show james dentin played mike who posed as a plumber while edie tried to zeus hseduc. he was plainly uncomfortable testifying in court when he found out she would be written he said, i can't say i was shocked because characters are dill killed off so often. it didn't prove or disprove sheridan's claim she was fired because she complained about a hitting incident but her fellow actor called testifying an

ordeal. >> you hope nothing you say will affect either of them adversely. i'm close to both of them. >> reporter: sheridan's demeanor when cherry testified that what she called a hit was a light tap. i was trying to indicate some playful things she could do to exit the room, he said. as cherry left the stand sheridan muttered a curse word in his direction. >> it was the most dramatic day since we saw sheridan crying on the stand at the beginning of the trial. >> reporter: and, spoiler alert, producer george perkins provided an additional unexpected dramatic moment. >> he reveals that james dentin's character will be killed off sunday and people gasped in the courtroom. >> reporter: this trial stars nicollette sheridan and there have been claims worthy of a soap opera about her behavior and relationships with costars. >> ow! >> reporter: on screen the tension between edie and susan

was a plot device. in court cherry testified once nicolette said she thought hatcher was the meanest woman in the world for how she was treating her. cherry criticized sheridan's unprofessional behavior, not punctual, forgetting lines and critical of costars. >> this has been ugly. it's not helping anyone. >> reporter: for a time the show was such a cultural touchstone former first lady laura bush made a joke she knew everyone would get at the 2005 correspondents dinner. >> 9:00. mr. excitement here is sound asleep. [ laughter ] >> and i'm watching "desperate housewives." [ laughter ] >> reporter: those days are in the past. >> i burned your house down. >> reporter: with the show winding down and especially for the star who insists she was wrongly jettisoned from the cast.

one of the only facts not in dispute that was that sheridan was fired after the hitting incident and after she complained about it. the rest was a he said/she said dispute with no smoking gun offered yet. the jury should get the case early next week. carl? >> mike, thanks so much. just ahead, the 3-year-old who needed life-saving emergency surgery after she swallowed 37 magne magnets. she'll join us along with her parents, but first, these messages. ♪ my heart is playing tricks on me ♪ [ female announcer ] introducing new special k granola bars. ♪ i can't break through with 4 grams of protein. and 4 grams of fiber. finally, a granola bar that makes your heart skip a beat. a snack that loves you back. what will you gain when you lose? ♪ ...skips a beat

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is still ahead, the man behind kony 2012, the video sweeping the internet. why did he do it and what does he have to say to his kids? >> first, your local news and weather. i've been growing oranges my whole life, ever since i can remember. my name is paul fabry, and i grow oranges in florida for tropicana. my grandpa taught me that there's no orange like a florida orange. they're grown in just the right soil... with the perfect amount of sunshine.

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good morning. 7:56. aaron gilchrist. finally friday. let's get a look at the friday forecast. here's meteorologist tom kierein. >> good morning. it turned a lot colder. overnight rain washed a lot of the pollen out of the air that was around yesterday. now still quite a bit of cloudiness around the region and temperatures are much chillier. in fact, we dropped about 30 degrees since yesterday afternoon. down into the low and mid 40s much of the region. reagan nation atwater 47. later today rebound in into the 50s to 60. sunshine returning and clear, cold night tonight. chilly weekend to follow with sunshine. >> thank you, tom.

still tracking the accident on the dulles toll road affecting the eastbound lanes. as you make your way to i-66 the crash is still in the road. you are still about a two-mile backup. travel speed is a lot better. you are at 19 miles an hour earlier. i saw speeds as low as 9 miles an hour. looks like they are make something progress. for now seeing the accident on the roadway and route 50 westbound slow there as well. back over to you. >> thank you. ba

♪ 8:00 now on a friday morning. it's the 9th day of march, 2012, as we say hello to all the wonderful people here who decided to jump start their weekend in new york with a stop with us in rockefeller plaza. if they stick around until monday, they will be able to catch the boy band one direction when they take over the plaza for a live concert. they have become an overnight sensation. a lot of us in the older generation never heard of them until recently, but young people all know. >> the young people. >> we'll tell you what the excitement is about coming up

this half hour. meantime i'm ann curry along with carl quintanilla who is in for matt and al roker always here for himself. what else is coming up? by the way, matt has the morning off. coming up we'll be talking about a frightening ordeal. >> 3-year-old payton bushnell, they thought she had a bad stomach ache. 37 tiny magnets she swallowed were connected together inside her body. obviously needed emergency surgery to have them removed. shh's here with her parents. i think she's holding the magnets themselves. amazing story. >> that's amazing. a little bit later on we have the story about kony 2012. >> that's right. essentially this videotape, it's a film that was made by a man who started something called invisible children. basically it's gotten 50 million hits in a matter of days on youtube and still counting. the question is are people getting the message.

we'll find out from the creator of the film and also ask him questions. there have been things that have come to light as well. >> on a lighter note, would everybody say "happy anniversary, ann". >> happy anniversary, ann! >> today mark it is 15th anniversary with the "today" family. actually on sunday. it's been a heck of a journey. there with the dalai lama all the way to tends of the earth. the north pole, south pole. we're talking about your highlights. >> getting my hair cut by katie. >> you have done so much. go to today.com to get a look at ann's 15 years here at "today." >> you surprised me. i had no idea you were going to do that. >> it's not there, is it? i have to start reading the script. natalie, save me. i'm so embarrassed. >> happy anniversary.

good morning once again. in the news kansas voters add their voices to the presidential race with the republican caucuses on saturday. the candidates are looking ahead to next week's primaries in alabama and mississippi. mitt romney called himself an adopted son of the south on thursday as he accepted the endorsement of mississippi's governor. rick santorum and newt gingrich are counting on strong showings of support from southern conservatives and evangelical christian voters. greece averted a catastrophic default on debt today. a majority of the private creditors agreed to bond swap to clear the way for a new international bailout. officials in michigan say a million dollar lottery winner has now been removed from public assistance. this after nbc's detroit affiliate revealed that amanda clayton who won last fall was still receiving $200 a month in food assistance. the report said she paid cash for a new home and car.

clayton didn't break any laws. she said she kept using the benefits because she's unemployed and took home less than half the million dollar windfall after taxes. mormon leaders blocked access to the names of holocaust victims and other people in the database. the goal is to prevent mormons from performing posthumous baptisms which outraged jewish people and members of other religious groups. now for a look at what's trending today. our quick round-up of what has you talking online today. model heidi klum is poopening u about her shocking split from seal. she said she feels she's in the eye of a tornado. she's upset that seal has spoken publically about the split but continues, he's a grown man and she can't tell him what to do and what not to do. angry birds fans, listen up. nasa is helping with the launch of angry birds in space.

in this video trending on youtube, astronaut don petit uses a slingshot to fling red bird across the international space station while explaining the impact of zero gravity. this ad for the dollar shave club has gone viral this week. take a look. >> each razor has a pivot head. it's so gentle a toddler could use it. do you like spending $20 a month on brand name raise e.r.zors? $19 goes to roger federer. we'll ship them right to you. we are dollar shave club.com and the party is on. ♪ >> very creative advertising. the dollar shave club, a real company. as for the founder you can see in the video he personally says he can't grow a beard but says

he's no beard aphon phonaphobe. >> funny stuff. matt's not here, so you wrote in carl. both are married so i don't think it will work out. >> it's worth a try. >> we have a couple of camera guys you could probably ask. >> all right. what's your name? >> very discriminating. nice. let' all right. let's check your weather. see what's happening. des moines, iowa, 13, nbc 13 in des moines. sunny, cool, 49 degrees. and as we look you can see this front stretching from new england all the way down to texas. bringing rain through the gulf coast. all the way up into new england. mountain snows there. we are looking at rain moving into the pacific northwest. plenty of sunshine through the plains. it will be a gorgeous day here in the east. that's what's going around the country. here's what's happening in your neck of the woods. >> good morning, tom kierein in storm center 4. pollen count jumped yesterday with that warm and windy weather. rain overnight washed a lot of

the pollen out. a cloudy sky but the cloud cover should break up later this morning. sunshine and chilly morning. right now the low and mid 40s much of the region. reagan national at 47 and later today into the 50s. with the sunshine returning. maybe briefly near 60 especially in virginia. clear and cold tonight. near freezing tomorrow morning. sunny, chilly day saturday. cold start it's your 16th birthday. wow. it's like mumenschantz. happy birthday. >> thank you. >> now back to ann. >> we have the toddler who swallowed 37 magnets. we have an exclusive live interview after this. hey, you made your own lunch. 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.

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are choosing advil®. here's one story. pain doesn't have much of a place in my life. i checked the schedule and it's not on it. [ laughs ] you never know when advil® is needed. well most people only know one side of my life. they see me on stage and they think that that is who i am. singer, songwriter, philanthropist, father, life's a juggling act. when i have to get through the pain, i know where to go. [ male announcer ] take action. take advil®. and if pain keeps you up, sleep better with advil pm. back now with a frightening health scare for a 3-year-old girl in washington state. it started with a stomach ache but when her parents took her to a doctor, an x-ray revealed she swallowed 37 magnets. we'll talk to them in a moment but first craig melvin has the story. >> reporter: little payton bushnell is back in the swing of things now. but a few days ago she could

have died. do you feel guilty? >> i do. >> reporter: how long do you think that will stay with you. >> as long as i can see the scar. >> reporter: days ago she complained of a stomach ache. >> i didn't think of it until she started to vomit. we thought it was the stomach flu. >> reporter: then payton stopped eating. >> mother's instinct set in and i knew something was wrong. >> she's lying around, not the spitfire she usually is. she looked different to me. >> reporter: after the doctor ruled out a virus she ordered x-rays. when she saw this she thought someone's bracelet had gotten in the way of the machine. >> second x-ray and still a ringlike thing in the abdomen. we said, we should go to e.r. >> reporter: after the surgery doctors realized it was 37 tiny magnets bound together slowly

eating away at little payton's intestines. she swallowed more than three dozen buckyballs clinging to the bushnell's refrigerators. as the magnets rolled through her body they started connecting to each other, squeezing her stomach and small intestine together and creating a potentially deadly bond. >> we had to make an incision to retrieve the magnets from within the stomach and upper intestine. >> see these magnets? they can make holes in your stomach. >> reporter: payton's predicament isn't as rare as you might think. according to the consumer products safety commission the number of cases of children swallowing magnets is on the rise. from one in 2009 to 7 in 2010 and 14 last year. payton's parents don't know how she swallowed 37 magnets but the lesson they have learned is clear. >> don't let your guard down with your kids. dond under estimate anything

they can do. >> reporter: for "today," craig melvin, nbc news, vancouver, washington. >> payton is here with her parents eric and kelly bushnell. she looks fantastic. we heard in the report your mother's instinct kicked in. what did you notice was different about her when you thought it was a stomach ache? >> after she was sick three or four dais ays and not eating, a the flu payton usually eats the next day. when i was bribing her with any type of food and she couldn't stomach it, i knew. when the doctors told me it was the flu, by tuesday i brought her in and that's when her pediatrician took the x-ray and found the beads that were in her stomach. >> which she's holding in a jar now. >> she is. >> do you know what this is?

those were in your tummy, right? you brought these from work and a lot of people have them on the desk as a stress reliever. >> sure, hold a business card. something quirky. she'd come in and visit and she'd play with them. once i lost a couple at the office, i brought them home and used them to keep stuff on the refrigerator. >> you think it's a bracelet and they take them out one by one and you find these individual little balls. what was your mindset then? >> i knew exactly what they were when they said it wasn't a bracelet, they're magnets. >> do you want me to take this? as soon as i found out they were the buckyballs from the office or from the refrigerator i knew we were in bad shape. i knew we weren't going to get them out. >> there is something of a backlash, accusing parents of not being attentive or something.

what's your message to them? >> you know, we're first time parents. we're very protective, overly protective parents. if it happened to us i want the message out that it can happen to anyone. never let your guard down. never think it won't happen to us because as protective as we are and as much as we watch her, it happened to us. >> yeah. >> as far as assuming the worst, you can't accuse a parent until you are one and you go through something like this. >> we were talking during the break. i'm a parent of toddlers. it's hard to cast dispersions and throw stones. >> sure. >> payton, thank you for coming in. this is a much better alternative, the binky p by the way. >> thanks for having us. >> up next, the man behind the global campaign sweeping the internet. we speak to the creator of kony 2012 after this. [ male announcer ] if you think tylenol

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this one's for all us lawnsmiths. grass gurus. doers. here's to more saturdays in the sun. and budgets better spent. here's to turning rookies - into experts, and shoppers into savers. here's to picking up. trading up. mixing it up. to well-earned muddy boots. and a lot more - spring per dollar. more saving. more doing. that's the power of the home depot. show the yard who's boss, with this cordless black and decker trimmer, just $84.97. back now with the phenomenon that's taken the internet by storm this week. since hitting youtube on monday the kony 2012 campaign has racked up 50 million hits. we'll meet the man behind it in a moment. first savannah guthrie has the story. >> reporter: the video touched the hearts of millions in days, from teenagers to social

activists, actors to politicians. the remarkable part of it is how it's gotten so big so fast. >> joseph kony -- >> amazing, potentially revolutionary. >> reporter: the reach stretched from the air waves. >> they are talking about kony 2012. >> reporter: across the internet. >> kony 2012 is so incredibly sad. >> reporter: and around the globe. >> a friend of mine shared it with me. she's in africa. >> reporter: kony 2012 is the online video that's taken the world by storm. seen by tens of millions in just days the video targets uganda's guerilla leader joseph kony and his group known as the lord's resistance army named by the international criminal court as the number one war criminal for crimes against children. >> turning the girls into sex slaves and the boys into child soldiers. [ crying ] >> reporter: plain spoken, poignant and powerful jason

russell uses his 4-year-old son to make a simple point. >> what should we do about this? >> stop him. >> it made me want to act. >> i felt attached to the children and i don't even know them. i just wanted to help them. >> we will fight war! >> reporter: at 30 minutes long it's unlike other videos that have exploded on youtube. >> i'm struck by how young the viewers are and how strongly they are reacting on facebook and twitter. that's the point of social networking. rarely have we seen it used for international activism like this. >> reporter: the video went viral, fuelled in large part by big name celebrities like oprah, rihanna and justin bieber who tweeted, this is not a joke. this is serious. together we can make a change and stop kony. part social campaign, part call to action inspiring a new generation, kony 2012 asks people to take to the streets on april 20, putting up posters of

joseph kony in every city on every block possible. >> the world will go to bed and wake up to hundreds of thousands of posters demanding justice on every corner. >> reporter: by harnessing the power of social media film maker russell hopes to change the world one view, one click and one tweet at a time. the momentum has not stopped. in the past two days alone it's averaged close to 1 is million hits per hour. ann? >> savannah, thank you so much. jason russell joins us now. good morning to you. you posted the film on monday. >> yeah. >> a lot of us heard about it from family. my niece lily told me about it. you looked at 50 million views on youtube. but we checked vineo and if you add them together, 64 million views. why do you think your effort to make joseph kony famous caught fire? >> i think because it's a human

story. we are all human beings. for some reason we forgot our humanity because of politics and because of all of the things we are talking about. it's paralyzed us. we forgot, oh, yeah, we're humans first. we forgot. this brings it back to the core issue. we are living on a planet, floating in eternity. we can connect and protect each other. >> you really are connecting with young people. that's what's driving so much of the retweets and movements. >> right. >> a lot of major news organizations talked about joseph kony. >> right. >> but there is something about the way you have done it taking it beyond reporting and informing people. you're trying to move people. how do you know this is not just slactivism? how do you know people will do this? >> we have over half a million action kits ordered. they are demanding what are we doing now? we are taking it to the streets. they are organizing in every city around the world. this is not an american

movement. it's everywhere. literally south korea is saying, we're ready. we are putting up posters. en mas in math you don't start with calculus or algebra. there are complicated issues in the world. afghanistan, syria, somalia. these are complex issues. kony is not. he's one plus one. we can all agree together we're going to stop him this year. we are not going to wait another year. >> how are you going to stop him? >> we have a crisis tracker. lra crisis tracker.com. it's an app you can download and it the money goes to track him down. we know where they are abducting and where they are killing. we want the international community to respond. there is a responsibility to protect the u.n. committed to. samantha powers has been talking.

angelina jolie, george clooney, they have been saying it for a long time. now youth are waking up. children 25 and younger are saying, mom, dad, pay attention to this right now. it's now. the power of doing it now, not later. not next year. we don't have the answers. >> in fact, let me ask you about it. there is evidence that joseph kony is down to about 200 followers, that his impact has lessened since all those years ago when you met young jacob who you showed us in your film and that actually kony is on the run. >> right. >> how much of a threat is he today to children? >> if 200 children were abducted in san diego, california, where i'm from -- >> he's down to 200 followers, i said. >> fighters. so 200 fighters, 200 abducted children. if that happened in san diego, california, in new york city, 200 children abducted and forced to kill their parents. if that happened here, in my home it would be all over the news.

i's taken 26 years for this to hit the news. >> well, it's been in the news for years, it's just not been in the front as you're making it. >> right. we cared but we didn't know what to do. now we know what to do about it. >> let me ask you. i want to give you a chance to talk about some of the criticism. specifically there is a criticism that too much of the money, that only 32% of the money that invisible children get goes directly to aid children, to help people in uganda. >> right. >> can you answer that? >> the old model of charity or some charities. well, the scott harrison charity water model is 100% goes to clean water. he's a rock star and we love him. we're good friends with him. that's their model and they're proud. our model is threefold. the movie, the movement and the mission. we want to rehabilitate the child soldiers. we think different. it's unorthodox on purpose. >> you're just getting started.

jason russell, it's a pleasure to meet you. >> thank you for telling the story constantly. >> we'll keep going. thank you. just ahead, another international sensation. the rise of the hit band one direction is coming up after your local news. 8:26 is your time on this friday, march 9, 2012. good morning. i'm eun yang. let's check in with storm 4 meteorologist tom kierein for a look at your forecast for today. things cooling down? >> what a change from yesterday. we were in the 70s and now we are down into the 40s with a cloudy sky. rain has ended now and temperatures are going to stay chilly for another couple of hours but nen by later this morning we get sunshine breaking out. we should climb back into the 50s and then maybe even briefly near 60 degrees early afternoon. then clear and cold tonight. down to near 30 by dawn saturday. sunny tomorrow. chilly with highs near 50 degrees. spring ahead one hour saturday

night and warmer by sunday afternoon. >> thank you. a quick break and

good morning. good news if you are taking the dulles toll road.

crash tying things up for a while. it is now out of the roadway. right now you are at 50 miles per hour eastbound. making your way past 123. over to 395 a little bit of volume at duke street as you cross over the 14th street bridge, still

8:30 now on this friday morning. the 8th day of march 2012. we have a large crowd in rockefeller plaza. spring break, do you think it's begun? we expect a larger one on monday. the international pop sensation one direction will stop by for a live concert.

brace yourselves. [ cheers ] >> one-d as the fans call them burst onto the scene a year ago. they have taken the music world by storm. some have compared it to beatle-mania. up next we'll show you why one direction's phenomenon is hitting all of us. >> in the meantime we're going to gear up for the concert with a big hearty meal for the weekend. in this case, braised beef rigatoni. the family is sure to love it. >> that's what smells good upstairs. >> that's good. then we are going to bring in barbara corcoran, our brick house will be here to show us great real estate options from apartments to houses, even a houseboat. i think that's a first for us. all under $200,000. >> she's the real estate expert. first how abo >> let's see what we have for your weekend. starting with tomorrow, cold and flurries.

new england. heavy rain. texas, mississippi, on into arkansas, rain into the pacific northwest bindi around the western great lakes. sunday, sunday, sunshine along much of the country. although the -- east coast. showers down through southern florida. and heavy rain in the lower mid mississippi river valley. and more rain out in the pacific north west. with mountain snows through the mountains of idaho, look for sunny and mild conditions through the southwest. that's what's going on around the country. here's what's happening with your neck of the woods. >> big drop in temperatures from yesterday. and in the wake of the cold front that came through with the rain we have the overcast beginning to thin. especially far west and north of us. as the day progresses we will get increasing sunshine. right now quite a chill in the air. we are in the 40s throughout much of the region. 47 at reagan national. later today, with that sun breaking out we should make it back into the 50s. maybe near 60 parts of virginia and then tonight clear and cold near 30 tomorrow morning. afternoon highs saturday, near 50. and sunday after a cold start o weather. don't forget. get your weather any time day or night on the weather channel on cable or weather.com online. now let's head to florida and

say hello to uncle willy. >> the sweet sands of sanibel island on the gulf of mexico. look at those beautiful little children having fun playing in the water and playing in the sand. i used to love to do that. ocean city, maryland. got to love it. happy birthday from smucker's. how sweet it is. take a look at our birthday buddies. today here is tamer owens. she's from victoria, texas. 110 years old. loves to read the bible and make cookies. both of those things, i'm very much in favor of. especially the cookies. jack jones of samson, alabama is 105 and has a sharp mind. he wouldn't work with us then. he couldn't handle it. his secret to longevity is having lots of good friends.

laura buhr of glendale, arizona. dresses to the nines. beautiful dresser and enjoys going to have coffee with the girls. how about that? that's nice. i like to have coffee with the girls. alvin grammar of san matteo, california, is 105. an experienced sailor and a big san francisco giants fan. can't beat that either. julia macmillan, hancock, michigan, is 103. worked in a donut shop. that's my idea of heaven. read the bible and work in a donut shop. we wish her the best. likes her bingo, too. finally, take a look at george boggess is of washington, d.c. that's our hometown.

place of operations. he loves to travel with his lovely wife. they visited all 50 states. how about that? from the shores -- they are trying to change the name to the gulf of america. did you know that? it's the gulf of mexico now. back to new york. >> willard, thank you. now we get to say hello to oscar winner kathy bates. star of "harry's law." now back on sunday nights. >> we'll be opening this sunday night at 8:00 p.m. in our new time slot. really excited about it. it's a great night for tv. we have a lot of loyal fans. so i want to make sure everybody knows where we are going to be. we have great episodes coming up. ten left in the season and the show keeps getting better. we have a wonderful cast. i'm partial to the show. i guess you can tell. >> there's a great balance because there is the legal part,

the drama and comedy, too. >> definitely. i don't know if you could tell on that cut. we have a guy with a nail on his head for the first episode. i must say harry ends up taking advantage. he works for her old firm. she just wants to stick it to them a little bit. >> no pun intended. >> exactly. >> your character was described as feisty. a departure for you? >> she's tough. she doesn't suffer fools gladly. i love playing the part. i think i aspire to be harry. >> we see you so much on film. most recently you played gertrude stein in "midnight in paris." with tv, how do you jump easily between tv and film? >> i've been blessed, natalie. i loved working with woody on that movie. i ran into owen wilson during one of the awards shows. we were all sweltering in this apartment in paris and we were thinking, i don't know. this sounded like a good idea at

the time. we had no idea the movie would take off like it did. >> as a fan of "misery" you can break my legs any time. >> don't tempt me. >> thank you. >> great to have you here. >> sunday nights at 8:00. don't miss it. >> or she'll break your legs. >> she'll hobble you! >> up next, everything you need to know about the international sensation one direction before they rock the plaza on monday. first, this is "today" on nbc.

♪ back now at 8:39 with the group some people are saying is inspiring the next case of

beatlemania. one direction is from great britain and they will take over the plaza for a live concert monday on "today." what's all the excitement about? we asked natalie to find out. >> i'm one of the screaming teens. if you have a preteen girl in your house she's probably already obsessed with one direction. they are on tour in the u.s. and are mobbed by fans at every stop. [ screaming ] >> reporter: it was madness at a boston mall. >> hello! >> reporter: 5,000 screaming, crying teenage fans showed up for a glimpse of the newest sensation. and in toronto, police closed down a city street as fans caused chaos. ♪ >> reporter: their name -- one direction. and they just may be the next global phenomenon. >> they have that thing that probably starts with elvis into beatlemania, keith partridge and on down. they have that thing.

>> they're british. we love them. >> so hot. their hair! >> i'm harry styles. >> zayn malik. >> i'm liam payne. >> i'm niall horan. >> and i'm louis tomlinson. >> they never met and competed as solo artist but that changed when simon cowell brought them together. >> we could have been going back to school in september or being on the road like this. that's how things have changed so much in the last 18 months. >> i was sleeping, chilling on the bus, playing video games. >> reporter: one direction's success has been meteoric. their debut album was the fastest selling in the united kingdom last year. their first single "what makes

you beautiful" won best british single and the video has over 65 million views online. here in the u.s., teenage girls are mad for british boys all over again. ♪ you don't know you're beautiful ♪ >> reporter: they have landed spots on tv shows on nickelodeon and icarly. they never saw it coming. >> we thought it might happen in the uk but to come to different countries is unbelievable. we feel so fortunate that people enjoy our music. >> there is a lot of possibility here. there is a lot of upside. that level of talent with those looks matched with the kind of management that's backing this band is a perfect storm for a massive successful phenomenon. >> the perfect storm is coming on monday here to our plaza. >> i'll see them tonight. i'm taking my son nicky to see

big time rush and one direction is opening up. >> they are probably a bigger act than big time rush now. i hate to say it. but i did say it. >> you just did say it. >> using nicky as an excuse again? >> i love them! >> you screaming little girl you. >> simon cowell, what a genius. think of the acts he's put together. all of the talent. >> meantime you can catch the one direction madness for yourself when they perform live on our plaza monday here on "today." coming up next, a hearty meal you can make for your family this weekend. first, this is "today" on nbc. -dad, why are you getting that? -that's my cereal.

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back at 8:45 this morning on today's kitchen, what's on the menu? farm to table to make a hearty braised beef rigatoni. chef and partner all the restaurant north is here. eric, good morning. >> good morning. >> before we start, the apron, vote eric. >> food & wine magazine.com people's best new chef award for the people's choice of best new chef in the united states. i'm in the running. i am a nominee and finalist. so humbled to be on the list. >> the deadline is sunday. how do you vote? >> foodandwine.com, best new chef in the new york area. >> let's start with the kind of meat you need first. >> awesome. we are farm to table at the restaurant. we support local farming. we brought in a 1,300-pound steer this month and we are playing with all the cuts. to use the less expensive cuts we have ribs, top sirloin, chuck

roast and the short ribs. we do a braised beef. it's an easy, quick -- well, not quick. >> dial back that part. >> it's a long braise but a quick put-together. >> first sear it. >> sear it in the pan. then take garlic, pinch in a little chili flake and crack in sage. sage is hearty. it lends to getting fried a little bit. it's simple in this manner. this takes 20, 30 seconds. we add in a touch of homemade tomato paste. >> why? >> it emulsifies the red wine and braises it out, gives a rich, deep flavor. >> okay. >> we add in the tomato paste, add the meat and cover with red wine, approximately two cup spms smells amazing already. >> you can never have too much

wine. >> so you let it braise. what's the typical period of time? >> at a low temperature, about 300 degrees. this will cook in three and a half to five hours, somewhere around there. just until it's fork tender. it's an easy braise. if you cook it too much that's okay. it will fall apart. >> start on friday, have dinner saturday night, something like that. >> absolutely. >> we have the braised meat here. we'll heat it up a little bit more. >> here comes the pasta. >> and pasta. we use rigatoni and pockari. it's big huge tubular pasta. papardelle works well. >> tubular. sounds like the '80s. why does it work? >> it gets in there, the meat gets in the tubes. who doesn't want to eat lots of pasta, lots of meat? >> you add it to the braised beef.

>> add the cooked pasta, olive oil to emulsify it together and a little bit of arugala. it's a dark, rich braise, so keep it light and fresh. >> ooh! you do it so well. >> thank you. we'll bring it over here to plate. >> cheese? >> cheese. you can use any type you want. a hard earthy cheese the wonderful. we use a local cheese. cow's milk aged about 120 days from this farm. it's beautiful. parmesan, pecorino works well. >> you accompany it with a salad? >> it's a rustic italian dish. this is papa's italian beef braise. my grandfather is from genoa. this is how he cooked. a simple salad to cut through

the richness. >> and cheese. and you have pannacotta to finish it off. the meat falls off the fork. >> that's what we're going for. >> this is amazing. vote eric. food and wine.com. still ahead, ways to avoid the costly fees some banks are charging. first, this is "today" on nbc. okay, people, let's get started.

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back now at 8:51 with the remarkable work of a brave, talented journalist. new york times correspondent anthony shadid died of an acute asthma attack in syria last month. the two-time pulitzer prize winner was just 43 years old. his wife joins us to talk about his life and his book now being released. it's called "house of stone." good morning. >> good morning. >> it's a pleasure to have you here. even just the lead-in was enough to make it difficult for you to be here which says something about how important it is to talk about this book. there was a lovely image of anthony this sunday in an article written by tyler hicks for the new york times who was with him on his last assignment

in syria. he says directly across me amid cigarette smoke was anthony with a huge smile on his face. this was exactly the kind of connection that made him most happy as a reporter. what can you speak about in terms of what drove him to work so hard to make us understand the middle east? >> you know, for as long as he remembered he wanted to be a journalist covering the middle east. he felt a commitment to the middle east because this is where his ancestors came from. he moved there, studied the language. he learned the culture. you know, he just became an expert about everything. he just loved being part of these communities wherever he was doing reporting to get to know these people as much as he could so he could write about them and really write as deeply as one can. >> it caused him great pain. it caused him near death

experiences, what he saw in other people's suffering. it hurt him, especially after the first time he nearly lost his life in syria. you knew this. you saw firsthand how much this impacted him. he started locking the doors at night? >> he started locking the doors at night. he was scared. but he was also very committed. he never imagined himself doing anything other than journalism, being a journalist or writing about people whose lives are being changed and are going through tremendous changes or are living under violence and wars and conflict. so it was painful and it was hard and scary for him. he was committed. >> he should be here talking about the way he found himself. you are standing up to do that for him. the way he found himself after all this difficulty and seeing

this was to go back to lebanon, the land of his ancestors and find this house that belonged to his great grandfather and bring it back to life, to renovate it. he describes the process in the book with such love and also with the weight of history, thousands of years before including his own family history in such a beautiful way. did he find a part of his soul again in this process? >> i think he was the happiest there. i think he did find himself there. it was something that he created that he created from his imagination. he felt this is where he belonged. i think he loved to believe this is where he belonged. this is the beginning for him for his ancestors. it was the end for him, too. >> i know you have a 2-year-old son. i'm sure you thought about how you want to make sure your son and anthony's daughter from a prior marriage just to think of

him now. have you thought about what you would want to say, briefly? i'm sorry. >> i think i want them to know how modest our father was and how nice. he never turned down anyone who came asking for advice or help. >> the book is "house of stone." we're back after your local news. especial 8:56 is your time on this friday, march 9, 2012. good morning to you. i'm eun yang. let's check in with storm 4 meteorologist tom kierein. >> we are down into the 40s now. we still have a cloud cover with us but some sunshine returning

over the next couple of hours. and mostly sunny this afternoon. climbing back into the 50s. maybe briefly near 60, parts of virginia. then clear and cold tonight. down near 30 by dawn tomorrow. sunny on saturday. afternoon highs tomorrow around 50 degrees. then a clear, cold night saturday night. spring ahead one hour. then sunday during the afternoon a bit warmer. we get into mond

happy friday. if you are taking the beltway we will take a live look. montgomery county & beltway traffic flowing nicely. outer loop speeds not so bad at all. you are at about 48 miles per hour. 12 minutes to get from i-95 to

back with more of "today" on a friday morning! [ cheers and applause ] >> that's right. the 9th day of march 2012. a cool start to the day. we have a cool, young crowd kicking off the weekend with us in our little corner of new york city. i'm ann curry along with carl quintanilla, al roker and savannah guthrie. matt has the morning off. we have a wonderful weekend happening. meantime, we'll be talking about how to outsmart your bank. >> on thursday another bank will expand checking account fees to millions of customers. the question is about the fees, they are popping up everywhere. sometimes you don't even know about them.

a few dollars here and there adds up. we have tips on how to avoid the costs and save cash. >> you can take the cash and put into it a new house. to do it, barbara corcoran has great places from traditional homes, even to a houseboat in seattle and an l.a. condo. we have everything for every lifestyle under $200,000. >> okay. >> then we'll check in with the "desperate housewives" trial in los angeles. another star has taken the stand. we'll get the latest on that trial. nicollette sheridan claims she was wrongfully fired from the show. >> starting with the top stories. natalie morales has that from the news desk. >> good morning. the new jobs report is out and shows our economy holding strong. u.s. employers added 227,000 jobs in february and the unemployment rate stayed steady at 8.3%. payrolls have grown by more than 200,000 for three months in a row. this is the first time it's

happened since early 2011. the wrongful termination lawsuit for former "desperate housewives" star nicollette sheridan is entering its final days but not before another cast member took the stand on thursday. mike taibbi is in los angeles with the details. mike, good morning. >> reporter: good morning, natalie. it wasn't one of the show's major female stars but one of the ensemble supporting players, like sheridan herself, who testified for marc cherry. bottom line is nothing that happened to sheridan or to her character edie britt she played seemed out of the ordinary. on the show james dentin played mike who posed as a plumber while edie tried to seduce him. in court, he was plainly uncomfortable testifying that when he learned edie would be written out of the show, he said, i can't say i was shocked because characters are dill killed off so often. it didn't prove or disprove sheridan's claim she was fired

because she complained about a hitting incident but her fellow actor called testifying an ordeal. >> you hope nothing you say will affect either of them adversely. i'm close to both of them. >> reporter: sheridan's demeanor when cherry testified that what she called a hit was a light tap while rehearsing a scene. i was trying to indicate some playful things she could do to exit the room, he said. as cherry left the stand sheridan muttered a curse word in his direction. >> it was the most dramatic day since we saw sheridan crying on the stand at the beginning of the trial. >> reporter: and, spoiler alert, producer george perkins provided an additional unexpected dramatic moment. >> he reveals that james dentin's character will be killed off sunday and people gasped in the courtroom. >> reporter: this trial stars nicollette sheridan and there have been claims worthy of a soap opera about her behavior and relationships with costars.

>> ow! >> reporter: on screen the tension between edie and susan was a plot device. in court cherry testified once nicolette said she thought hatcher was the meanest woman in the world for how she was treating her. cherry criticized sheridan's unprofessional behavior, not punctual, forgetting lines and nasty to a prop man and critical of costars. >> this has been ugly. it's not helping anyone. >> reporter: for a time the show was such a cultural touchstone former first lady laura bush made a joke she knew everyone would get at the 2005 correspondents dinner. >> 9:00. mr. excitement here is sound asleep. [ laughter ] >> and i'm watching "desperate housewives." [ laughter ] >> reporter: those days are in the past. >> i burned your house down. >> reporter: with the show winding down and especially for the star who insists she was

wrongly jettisoned from the cast. one of the only facts not in dispute that was that sheridan was fired after the hitting incident and after she complained about it. the rest was a he said/she said dispute with no smoking gun offered yet by either side. the jury should get the case early next week. natalie? is. >> mike taibbi in los angeles for us. thank you. police are investigating a deadly shooting at a pittsburgh psychiatric clinic. thursday, a man armed with two semiautomatic handguns burst into the lobby opening fire, killing one person and wounding at least six others. the gunman was shot dead apparently by police. officials say they had no motive for the shooting. it appears the gunman acted alone. kansas voters add their voices to the republican presidential race with caucuses on saturday. the candidates are also looking ahead to next week's primaries in alabama and mississippi. mitt romney called himself an adopted son of the south thursday as he accepted the

endorsement of the mississippi governor, but rick santorum and newt gingrich are counting on strong showings with support from southern conservatives and evangelical christian voters. after a long week of work and getting the kids off to school who doesn't need to let out a little frustration? now apparently there is an anger room. it's a business near dallas where for as little as $25 you can suit up and smash away all that pent up aggression. for an extra fee they will make the anger room look like your office. something wrong with that. we'll turn it back to al for a check of the weather. somebody's making a fast buck. >> thanks, natalie. let's show you what's going on going on for today. we have a frontal system draping from new england all the way down to the south atlantic i can and into texas and bringing rain along this system. in of it is going to be heavy at times because, unfortunately, for our friends in texas, it is going to just sit there and rain and rain.

50s and 60s down to the lower gulf. we have 70s and 80s in southern california. and southern florida. 20s in the northern plains. and looks like it will be temperatures in the mid to upper 30s and 40s into new england. that's what's going on around the country. here's what's happening in your neck of the woods. >> good morning. tom kierein in storm center. 4. had a front go through bringing rain and lingering clouds. it brought in much colder weather. right now we are down into the 40s. all around the region, reagan national past 9:00 now as it is still 47. holding steady over the last few hours, in the 40s. later today we should get some sunshine breaking out and should climb back into the 50s, maybe even near 60. parts of virginia to bit of a blustery wind settle down this afternoon. clear, cold ♪ she's a brick house >> time for today's real estate and what can you get for under $200,000? real estate contributor and our british columbia barbara corcoran -- brick house barbara

corcoran is here. this is a first, a houseboat. >> what's wrong with a houseboat? >> nothing. i love them. let's go to texas for a meticulously landscaped home for $192,000. >> texarkana straddles texas and arkansas. it has two mayors, two sets of city officials and one post office. the lighting outside the house is six uplights and what a difference. three bedrooms. picture perfect with the perfect lighting and shrubbery out front. the family room has ten foot ceilings which is perfect if you have tall kids. the kitchen has wood cabinets, a tiled island and a sunny dining area. there is a wide dining room big enough for a much bigger table with a tile floor and ten-foot ceilings. it's a pretty crown molding on top that emphasizes the height. there is an oversized master bedroom with multiple windows.

out back the yard is big enough for a trampoline or two or three or four for you to jump around. >> that's big, wow. now we'll head to centreville, ohio for a brick house that's $195,000. >> this community is old. it was founded in 1796. this is a brick ranch house on a quiet cul-de-sac on the tip of a little hill. very private, very airy. inside the formal entry way has gleaming wood floors and crisp white walls. a lesson in what not to do with the entry. they have no stuff in there. how nice that looks. cherry cabinet that is look expensive because they are. quartz counters and a decorative back splash. the formal dining room is elegant with dark wood floors. the brick wall in the family room, you will see it feels too dark. if that was white it would lighten the ceiling and make it look better.

out back there is a swing set, a wood deck and a grassy backyard. >> let's head to west of downtown l.a. for a nice spacious studio for $140,000. >> you wouldn't think in downtown l.a. you could get something for $140,000. this is a good thing you can get. it was built in the 1920s by two women who relocated from the east coast to the west coast just to get away from their husbands. they even have a ballroom in the basement. that's how it all got started. the studio is rich in period details like the nice window seat. french doors that lead into a windowed breakfast nook. it's only a studio but look at the use of the space. it has flowered paper in the kitchen that has to go. the main living room and nine foot ceilings in the bedroom. a built-in murphy bed. you have to have that in the small space and a walk-in closet, dressing area and lots of storage. you have to pay $221 a month

condo fees. that's it. the taxes are only $1700 a year. cheap way to live in l.a. >> and it reads bigger. >> they planned every inch. beautifully done. >> fantastic. we have never had this. a houseboat in seattle on beautiful lake union for $145,000. >> lake union used to belong to the u.s. navy but it became a houseboat community. this jolly little houseboat sits on the water. it's within walking distance of downtown. what a great place. inside it's like out of a happy movie. i picture falling in love with a young guy, living happily ever after in that space. >> enough about you, barbara. >> plenty of windows and built-ins. >> what about your husband? >> keep quiet. in the kitchen it's a working wonder. that's useful. you get everything done there. whimsical pebbled counter tops that fit the space. a cozy dining area. you expect the waitress to give

you ham and eggs. lovely, cozy and old fashioned. there is a built-in bench instead of the sofa in the living room. that's all the space you have. if you want to be snug as a bug check out this nice bed. only $145,000 and includes mooring fees. the taxes are only $450 a year. >> but the basement's wet. >> only you would think of that. >> next in alabama, a three bedroom home. >> a more traditional home more people would consider. a pretty craftsman style. it's a modern home at the foot of the appalachian mountains. inside, ten-foot ceilings, arched doors and a two-sided gas fireplace. nobody uses both sides but it's there. wood cabinets, floors and a granite island. i like the two arched doorways in the dining area that see through to the other side of the fireplace. double doors to the spa bath. you will have a peek at the bath

right there. out back, a covered porch with a white column that's just about right for this house. it's only $164,500. >> that's a sweet house. barbara corcoran, thank you. have a great weekend. still to come on today's money, strategies for avoiding fees at your bank. later on, one of whitney houston's closest friends and confidants speaks out about what went on in the hotel the day houston died. first, these messages. ...romance... ♪ ...documentaries... or whatever else, then you'll love netflix. netflix lets you watch unlimited movies and tv episodes over the internet, on your pc or tv via game console or other devices. and best of all: it's instant. watch as many movies and tv episodes as you want for only 8 bucks a month. start your free trial today. nature valley trail mix bars

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for it because the limits have gone up. also they may charge you for closing an account. they are introducing new fees. >> why? >> they are being squeezed by the bad economy. new regulations as a result of financial reform. they are looking for new revenue sources in your pocketbook. >> let's tell the consumers how to get around high fees. first you say to be sure to read the bank mailings. little pieces of paper you get and you throw away, read them. >> i know it's painful. i hate to recommend it, but they are required by law to let you know in advance if they are introducing fees. if you know, you may be able to head them off. >> next, ask for a break. what can you realistically ask for and expect? >> if you're a long-time customer you may be able to negotiate and get the fees waived. or, for example, maybe you don't have money in your checking account. you could merge two accounts to get your balance up or maybe ask

your bank if you include immediate deposit, automatic, direct deposit of the paycheck you could get a break on your account. if you have multiple accounts with a particular bank. maybe you have a mortgage, you add a cd or checking account. you could get away without fees. >> important relationship with them if you have been a long-time customer. >> yeah. >> next, sounds contradictory but you say to use your credit card rather than your debit card, especially if you have a credit card that has rewards points. >> right. banks have been trying to get fees tacked onto debit cards for a while. you will find they will come. >> thank goodness outrage prevented it this time around. >> they had them, took them away. but they are probably coming. they are also eliminating rewards from debit cards. you may as well use a cash back credit card. find one, use it for your

transactions. as long as you don't overcharge and you keep on top of things you're good. be sure to pay the balance every month. >> you say to consider switching banks. when do you really cut off the relationship and what banks would you recommend people look into? >> if you can't get away from fees, two things to consider are online banks and large credit unions. they have better policies, better interest rates. fewer in the way of fees. we did a little analysis and found the average bank charges $10 a month for a checking account versus a large credit union may charge $6. credit unions may require you to keep only $500 to keep a free checking account. banks will be $1,000 or more. it can save you having to pay fees. >> and a good tool to use is find a better bank.com. >> and find a credit union.com. to switch go to consumer reports.com/bank account for instructions. switching can be a pain. >> the last step is to uncover

extra bank fees. what kind of fees are we talking about here? >> make sure you are not going from high fees to higher fees. you may overlook the atm fees. if you go to a credit union be sure they have a network of atms you have access to or you could get hit with fees. also, if you bank with an online bank find out what they offer in terms of free transactions. several have free transactions every month. if you're at the atm every five minutes it may not work for you. >> great information. thank you. >> you're welcome. >> coming up, trends for spring that are easy on the eyes at prices that are easy on the wallet. after these messages. [ male announcer ] this is the story of one of nature's most perfect foods... quaker oats. in every way, a super grain. ♪ super for the fiber that helps fill us up. super for the energy it gives to get us going. super for the oats that are so good for our hearts.

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coming up, whitney houston's final days. one of her closest friends speaks out. >> and you will stand out this spring with the newest bold fashion trends. >> then, if stuffed cornish game hens sounds fancy, we'll show you an easy at-home recipe to impress your guests. first, your local news and weather. (bell rings) hi. good morning. big news. we're spreading the word about new honey bunches of oats fruit blends and their unique taste combinations. like peach/raspberry... and banana/blueberry. we're telling everyone. with one flavor in the granola bunch and one on the flake. try some. mmm!

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good morning. it is 9:26 this friday, march 9. let's get to storm 4 meteorologist tom kierein with a look at your forecast. >> good morning. the overcast is thinning. that's a live view from our city camera. we are getting a little bit of sunshine showing through. wake of the rain that came through last night, cloud cover thinning out west to east and increasing sunshine. right now still a chill. under the clouds we are in the 40s throughout much of the region. climb into the 50s by later this afternoon. maybe briefly near 60 to our south and then we will have winds now gusting to 20 miles an hour diminish this afternoon. clear, cold tonight tonight. near freezing tomorrow morning. chilly weekend with sunshine back to the weekend.

good morning. if you are taking the inner loop of the beltway as you approach

braddock road, your right lane will be blocked by construction and your travel speed, 36 miles per hour. delays continue to the dulles toll road.

there's only one direction -- get it -- to see this group in rockefeller plaza. the boy band from britain called one direction. they are coming to town, burning up the charts, breaking hearts including al roker's, wherever they go. monday they will perform live in concert only here on "today." girl mania on the plaza. >> right. meanwhile coming up this half hour, a different topic. whitney houston's final days. we'll hear from a woman who developed a close relationship with houston in the last years

of her life. she was there the day they found whitney in her hotel room. she'll tell us more about it in a bit. >> we'll talk fashion and look at affordable fashions from bright colors to patterns and prints. the trend is bold and beautiful. we'll show you how to get the look for less. >> if you don't think you have time to put together an elegant restaurant-style dinner at home you'll want to check out what we are cooking up. it sounds hard but it's easy. stuffed cornish game hens. any home chef can pull it off. we'll show you how. >> any? >> maybe not savannah. >> maybe if she's in someone else's home. >> i can eat it though. >> good morning to lester holt, the day after birthday boy. >> happy birthday! >> coming up, louise white of rhode island, we'll talk about what she plans to do with her multi-million dollar jackpot.

i have typed up suggestions. they all start with lester. then do you have a pet python that's outgrown its cage? really? this is a program for you. we'll tell you why the program works and why it's good for pets like these. i always wonder what to do with my python. >> excuse me? >> i always wonder -- >> never mind. >> and "smash" continues to hit a ratings high note. amy talks to the stars about what it's like to work on the song and dance show when we see you this weekend on "today." tons of fun. >> we look forward to it. how about another check of the weather? >> let's check the weekend, see what we've got for or you. for tomorrow we have flurries in new england. rain along the pacific northwest coast. and heavy rain, texas into mississippi and arkansas. flooding most likely. sunday, sunday, we have more heavy rain and that spreads up into louisiana on into the mid mississippi rivers valley. rain in the pacific northwest and sunshine, mild, mid atlantic

states into the southeast and showers down through central and southern florida. that's what's going on around the country. here's what's happening in your neck of the woods. >> good morning. here the -- overcast is spinning out. little bit of sunshine now showing through. and quite a bit of sun now in the panhandle of west virginia, much of western maryland, drying coming our way and it will give us sunshine and increasing our temperatures which are right now chilly in the 40s. and climbing into the 50s near 60 later this afternoon. then clear and cold tonight and it will be near freezing by dawn saturday. 20s in the rural areas. and afternoon highs near 50 with sunshine. and sunny sunday. warmer your latest weather. >> all right, al. a special guest this morning with us. al's daughter leyla roker is here with susan roker from appleseeds magazine. >> she interviewed dad about his career. good morning. >> good morning. >> we want leyla to tell us

about dad at home, but first let's talk about the article. was it cool to write about dad? >> is yeah, it was really fun. i knew what he did, but i didn't know all the details. so i got to learn more details about how he started and i also got to learn about the editorial process which is pretty long actually. >> yeah. >> your interview questions were right on. budding journalist, al? >> fortunately she takes after her mother. >> a little bit of both in there. >> susan, how did the project come about? i understand you're neighbors with the rokers. >> i live around the corner. this year appleseed did something different. for march all six of our magazines have one theme which is the perfect storm. this is about the weather, of course. appleseed is for kids 7 to 10 or older. it's about engaging kids in discovering their world, exploring their world. so i decided really because i knew i had a fabulous resource

around the corner which was leyla roker and her dad. for amseed the focus would be on weather jobs. so i asked leyla -- i gave her magazines and showed her from the apple core feature we have which is student writers or young writers and asked if she would be interested. >> was there anything your dad said that surprised you? you said you learned things you didn't know. >> i learned he was actually in radio before he did tv. so he started out, you know, slower, some call it. i think you were a sophomore? >> yeah. >> sophomore in radio and moved on to tv. he went from night stations to the mornings. >> i was surprised to hear he gets nervous sometimes. >> when you asked me that i had about thought about it, but i get nervous. >> before every broadcast?

>> yeah. nobody's ever asked me that before. i still get nervous. >> if you're not a little nervous. >> time to get out of there. >> it's not the adrenaline. >> the best part is i'm so proud of her. >> she did a great job. >> she really did. she wants to be a writer and she's on her way. >> you can log on on line to read the article. >> you can see the article and actually download it for free at cricketmag.com/storm. you can see her article and there is a free download for all six magazines. >> you keep on writing. >> okay. >> future contributor to the show. >> give us more on your dad. >> oh, you have to go to school. look at the time. >> she's off today! >> all right. thank you both. still ahead, fashion doesn't have to cost a fortune. we are styling spring with the latest trends. first, these messages. [ cellphone rings ] hey honey!

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isn't just a great way to clean wood. pledge is also gentle on leather. safe on stainless. missed a spot. great for shining motorcycles... wood? come on. it's pledge. car seats and dashboards. hey there! it cleans laminate furniture... or whatever that was. even granite. today, pledge shines a whole lot more than just end tables. [ male announcer ] for a quick dusting, try pledge wipes. [ female announcer ] sc johnson, a family company. nearly one month since the passing of whitney houston and the reasons for her death are still a mystery. we are learning more about her final days from a woman who spent the last six years by her side. tamron hall has her story. >> hey, al. tiffany dixon is a hollywood hair stylist used to being around celebrities. when whitney houston invited dixon into her inner

circumstance circle the two had a relationship deeper than employee and employer. by 2006 whitney houston's once shining star had faded. it had been 11 years since she had recorded a number one single. rumors of drug use and rehab visits filled the tabloids. and her marriage to bobby brown was in shambles. >> amazing person. >> reporter: but to tiffany dixon, whitney houston was like royalty. >> i would listen to her music and she was just america's princess. >> reporter: houston hired dixon to be her hair stylist in 2006 and is shown in these pictures licensed by nbc news, dixon stayed with whitney houston as the singer rebuilt her life after divorcing bobby brown. ♪ i look to you >> reporter: with a world tour in 2010 -- >> i know y'all don't love each other that much. >> reporter: and her first movie role in 15 years in 2011,

houston was finding her groove. >> that was the beginning of the come back? >> actually not a comeback. a come through. we talked about it and she said, i never went anywhere. i'm coming through something. >> reporter: on the eve of the grammys last month dixon arrived at houston's hotel room to get ready for a party. she said she saw houston's body on the floor after others had pulled it from the bathtub. >> i saw that she was unresponsive and i immediately turned around to get help. >> reporter: you saw her there? >> from afar, yes. i did. >> reporter: in the chaos that followed, dixon tried to comfort houston's daughter in the hallway. >> she said, what's going on? >> reporter: was she in shock? >> very much so. >> reporter: since houston's death dixon has tried to forget the painful day in february and focus on the joy of knowing whitney. >> when you see the picture of her in a leopard dress and she's

just beautiful. >> smiling. >> reporter: are you proud? >> happy i could be part of making her smile. >> just days before her death whitney houston also went back into the recording studio to work on a new song for the "sparkle" soundtrack. her last work as a singer and actress will be released in august, al. >> all of her fans and a lot of people will be looking forward to that. >> absolutely. >> tamron, thank you very much. up next, stylish looks for spring at low prices. right after these messages. about whole grain heres and the cereals your kids love. ♪ now all general mills big g kid cereals have more whole grain than any other ingredient. the same great taste they love in cereals like lucky charms and cinnamon toast crunch with whole grain that they need. just look for the white check, only on general mills big g kid cereals, . . .ro

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that cleans, brightens, and fights stains. pop in. stand out. >> announcer: today's style is brought to you by tide pods. pop in, stand out. >> this morning on today's style, standout spring trends. bold, bright and printed, they are the hot looks but they can be hard to pull off sometimes. here to show us affordable looks

and how to wear them the fashions features editor for instyle magazine. >> thank you so much. >> the first one we are calling bold pastels. some people may think that doesn't go together. >> it seems like an oxymoron but it's the pairing of a pastel with another pastel. it creates a vibrant head to toe look. what's key is you can play up with similar hues. like we have a soft pink with a soft lailac or you can do contrasting. keep everything else clean because it is enough of an impact with color. >> it's like color blocking. you say to accessorize with neutrals. >> either do min tall jewelry or jewelry that's neutral whether it's the shoe or the necklace. >> jennifer, thank you. you look great. next is modern romance. nancy, come on out. i kind of want to steal this

outfit. it's pretty. >> isn't it beautiful? is. >> it has the romantic details we know about. lace, ruffles and bows. the key to make it modern is the color that's edgier. we have slate gray as opposed to traditional black. also a streamlined cut. this is a great skirt from banana republic. clean and elegant. you don't need to over accessorize. let the piece make a statement. >> in this case the lace skirt is the show stopper. >> you don't need to compete with it. >> thank you, nancy. next is pleats. we have rebecca showing us. a lot of women say they're not sure they can wear pleats. they are afraid it won't be flattering. >> on the contrary. pleats are flattering because they are innately elegant. rebecca's dress from kohl's is lauren conrad. it has architectural sophistication with pleats that also give it movement. you're adding volume without bulk. you're creating shape,

amplifying curve bus not in a bulky or offputting way. >> is it a dress or two pieces? >> this is a dress. speaking to the color blocking trend it incorporates the layer of color block. >> if you were doing a pleated skirt do you do a plain top? >> or you can pair pleats with pleats as long as they are similar in terms of width. >> thank you so much. i love the next look. nature prints. we have mia with this look. show us what you've got. that's a pretty dress. >> isn't it beautiful? what's great about nature prints is you can do abstract landscapes or beautiful floral gardens like this. this is a look that's pretty enough for day but because of the graphic nature of the print, dramatic enough for night. >> you toughened it up with a leather belt. >> we added a bit of an edgy statement. you can do a more demure look in this print or a more modern look. the leather belt makes it. >> let's see the shoes, mia.

that's pretty. >> we did a neutral shoe. we wanted to play down the daintiness so something with heft. >> next we have a bright day look. you see bright reds and onges in the stores. >> day dresses at instyle, this is a dress and go look. we are fans of this. instant polish. when you choose one that comes in a bright color whether classic red or a seasonal color it amplifies is overall look. >> you say leave the accessories neutral. let's have all the looks come out and show everybody. all right. everyone's looking good. you can incorporate them now. they all look good together. >> thank you. >> thanks, ladies. coming up next, wowing your family with an elegant meal without spending hours in the kitchen. really. but first, this is "today" on nbc.

>> announcer: today's kitchen is brought to you by kraft lunchables with fruit. this morning in today's kitchen, what's for dinner? an elegant meal made easy, we're told. the chef from 8k restaurant from aspen, colorado, joins us. will, good morning. >> good morning. >> congratulations. you are also nominated for food and wine magazine's people's best new chef award for the southwest region. eric rabinowitz was on earlier. why should voters vote for you? >> we bring a little bit of creole to the valley. it's nice, different. gives it a little change. >> after sampling this meal i'm sure people would vote for you. let's get to what we are cooking. you say this is an elegant, easy meal to do at home. >> so easy. >> most people would be

intimidated by game hens. you have a sausage stuffed game hen with parsley. >> get a bone in or a bone out hen. easy to do. snip, snip, pull the bones out. >> or ask your butcher to do it. >> save the bones and make stock. >> okay. >> basically, take it after it's boned like this. >> uh-huh. >> mix up a little bit of rice, green onions. >> white rice in there. that's regular sausage? >> parsley, green onions, a little bit of cayenne or a lot. and mix it all up. this is basically a boudamblanc. >> what kind of sausage? >> this is raw andouille. you will cook it for a while, get the juices out to flavor it.

>> then you stuff it. >> take this, mix it all up. >> super easy. >> about a half cup. >> it's a little ball in there. >> can't go wrong. take a little bit of this, mix it all up. then tie it. everything cooks better when it's compact. >> trussing it up a little bit. >> yes, ma'am. take it, loop it. >> like surgery. >> exactly. we're like food doctors, i guess. >> yes, you are. >> take it and tie it up. >> okay. just tie it all around like that. >> keep it nice and compact. >> perfect. little salt and pepper. >> and in the oven. >> you pop it on a pan? >> right on a sheet of foil. >> how long will it go in for? >> 325 for an hour. >> let's talk about what we have for the sauce. >> i have already sweated down shallots and mushrooms.

>> okay. >> you will add parsley. >> creme fraiche or sour cream. egg yolks. >> just the yolk. >> and blender up. >> mm-hmm. through the magic of television because we don't have a lot of time we'll show you here the bird when it's done. that's the parsley sauce? >> that's the parsley sauce all finished. >> what else? >> hush puppies. >> oh! >> always goes well. >> and bananas foster bread pudding. >> now we're talking. >> you have outdone yourself. >> congrats and good luck. >> go to food and wine to vote for our friends here. up next, hot looks for prom. >> first, your local news. >> and weather.

good morning. i'm aaron gilchrist. here is what you can expect monday morning on "news4 midday." we will get you red write for all of the madness that comes with march. we will break down the ncaa tournament [ ets and tell you who your favorite team is playing and where. we will have your weather and traffic together on the 1s. >> big things are going to be happening over the weekend. big changes on the way between now and monday. we will have some much colder

weather moving in that did move in overnight and -- it is going to be in place here by tonight and into the weekend. and right now around our region we have temperatures in the 40s and it is going to be warming up a little bit by sunday. and as we get back to work and school on monday, i will have all your latest weather. start off your workweek. >> there's nothing worse than starting off your workweek stuck in traffic. i will be watching the roads monday morning and to make sure your commute is painless. >> plus the clock springs forward this weekend. how the lost hour of sleep can have a big impact on your health come monday. wake up with us then. wake up with us then. we are

captions paid for by nbc-universal television hey, everybody. it's try day friday. end of the workweek. march 9th. don't forget, it is time to spring ahead an hour this weekend, saturday night, for daylight-saving time. >> it's saving. some people say daylight saving time. it's saving, in case you're wondering. you said it right. it will be nice because it will be lighter later and lighter earlier. >> yes.

>> longer days. >> i always love it. i don't know why we don't just leave it there. >> you guys are on the road, because it's spreng and you want to visit people -- >> who can afford gas. >> well, if you can. >> another story. >> some folks in jersey, some lawmakers are tired of people driving slowly in the left lane. you know who you are. >> that's the trouble. you think they do? >> they do. >> they don't. >> they putter along and there are three empty lanes for slow people and they want to sit in the fast lane. they're talking about writing tickets for these people. go ahead. >> it's going to be a fine. >> fine. >> failure to keep right. >> 50 bucks to anywhere between 100 and $300. look, bottom line, when people are riding in that lane slowly, it does cause problems. >> it causes accidents. >> becau because the people behind are getting nervous, they have to go around. >> and when you look in, they're

totally oblivious. driving like -- i want the world to go around me. >> different people hand that will in different ways. hoda rolls down the window and -- >> no. >> tweets, if you know what i mean. something to do with a bird. >> i have rage in my own car, and that's fine. >> you know what somebody does, the greatest thing i've ever heard, the worst thing a man can see, she rolls down the window, goes like this to him. >> that is -- that is -- that's even worse than the bird. >> they go crazy. >> i bet they do. i bet they do. >> yay, jo-jo. our girl. what happens if it's a woman? she doesn't do anything. you know what, it's rarely a woman. >> always a man. >> unless it's an old lady and then we defer. >> speaking of the road, there is this band in russia, one of

those garage bands. >> yeah. on a tight budget. >> they're tired of playing in their parents' garage so, they decided to take their band on the run and show on the road so, they all piled onto a motorcycle, i guess with their instruments, god knows, and this is what it looks like. let's see. >> incredibly dangerous, i'm sorry. number two, helmets. >> helmets. >> any of those drums could go flying off. oh, my gosh. >> still dangerous whether you're in russia or not, you know? >> yeah. >> maybe no helmet laws there. >> sorry for their parents. i really do. >> the if you travel a lot and you're a tourist in many countries, we have a list -- well, we have the worst tours in the globe according to a survey. >> the old saying, the ugly americans. >> that's us. >> apparently. >> here's what we do apparently according to the survey. we steal things from hotel

rooms, including towels -- the top two are towels and bathrobes. >> bathrobes are bulky. >> i know people who stuff the pillow in their luggage. >> i so wanted to do that once. where was i? i forget. i was in new york, but it was the greatest pillow i ever had. i tried to buy it. no. will you tell me where i can buy it? no. i was tempted. >> but you didn't. >> no. >> you know what 3% of people do, you know what they steal from hotel rooms. think of the last thing you would steal from a hotel room. they steal the bible. >> this is unbelievable. ♪ day by day where it is says if you actually read it, thou shalt not steal! >> anyway, people also steal the remotes. >> do they work on any television? >> some do work on multiple tvs. but -- anyway. >> i think certain things are left there for our own convenience, little soaps and things, little lotions, but they're doing that, too.

>> people hoard those. they throw them in their purse. other people in restaurants, people take sweet n low. >> i just said that. i'm traveling today so i took a few splenda. >> no, bit's not bad but when yu take the whole thing and shove it in your purse, people will take whatever's out there. >> i feel like they want you to except for the bible. it's in a drawer. this is unbelievable. it's international women's year but you'd never know it. listen to this. >> there's a guy living with his girlfriend, i think boyfriend and girlfriend, always throws his pants everywhere, laundry all over the place and the girlfriend does all of the washing. >> he's a slob. >> she's had it. she picks them up, throws them on the chair, and she notices the tag on the pants. it says 100% cotton, machine wash warm inside out with like colors, nonchlorine, da, da, da, or give it to your woman.

who's laughing? >> give it to your woman. it's her job. them's fighting words. >> the men think it's hysterical. jimmy's laughing. this is great. >> does jay leave stuff around? >> jay is neat. i leave stuff around. >> no kidding. >> he makes the bed. did i reveal something? >> he makes the bed in the guest room? >> no, he does. he makes the bed. he takes care of things. like there's not a coffee cup in the sink like i have, you know, me, like bombs explode wherever i go. >> unbelievable. >> i have a trail. >> he loves you, hoda. so much wrong with you and he doesn't even care. he just adores you. >> i know. it's great. >> okay. you can rent your driveway. times are tough and people are finding all kinds of ways to make a few extra bucks. so rent your driveway. park at my house dotcom just launched a new -- >> you go online and say your

driveway is next to some attraction or something -- >> a school where they often have, you know, carnivals and things like that. you know what i'm talking about. they'll put cones aside, do not park, do not washg. what about renting -- if you live close to the school. >> people rent them for 70 bucks, could be for a week or whatever. kind of smart. you're trapped because they're blocking your driveway, you know, but the bottom line is you make a little extra cash. >> and nobody gets hurt. >> nobody gets hurt. >> not illegal. >> we have to talk about this because this is so cool. these are cupcakes from sprinkles, a place that sells cupcakes so, what. but what makes it interesting -- they're delicious. what makes it interesting, they have this thing that's an atm machine. you put your credit card into the machine, you punch the button, and out comes your cupcake. >> cupcake comes out! this is in los angeles, right? >> isn't that genius? they should do that, by the way, with all kinds of food. that would be -- that's such a great -- you don't have to talk

to anybody. >> you don't remember -- what are those called, you guys? we were talking about it this morning. those -- the mats. automats. >> yes. >> back in the 1800s, we loved them. such a problem with obesity in our country, though. why cupcakes? >> because they're delicious. have you tried sprinkles cupcakes? >> no. >> they're insane. you know who would love them? jeff and sandy luton. they're standing at our news desk. they are two of our charity auction winners from the march of dimes. they came in from d.c. to visit us. so glad you're here. >> thank you. >> yawning or anything? let's get it going with kathie lee's "friday funny." kind of cute. this is from our facebook fan. bob feared his wife, carol, wasn't hearing as well as she used to and he thought she might need a hearing aid. not quite sure how to approach her, he called the family doctor to discuss the problem.

the doctor told him there's a simple test a husband can perform to give her a better idea about the hearing loss. stand about 40 feet away and in normal conversational speaking tones see if she hears you. >> okay. >> if she doesn't, go to 30 feet, then to 20 feet and so on until you get a response. that evening the wife is in the kitchen cooking dinner and probably picking up his laundry and he's in the den. he says to himself, i'm about 40 feet away. let's see what happens. in a normal tone he says, honey, what's for dinner? no response. the husband moves closer to the kitchen and repeats it, what's for dinner? smo no response. he moves into the dining room where he's about 20 feet away. honey, what's for dinner? again, no response. he walks up to the kitchen door and says, honey, what's for dinner? no response. he walks up behind her and says, carol, what's for dinner? for god's sake, bob, for the fifth time, chicken! >> so he can't hear?

>> he can't hear. it couldn't have been in the delivery. come on. >> you know what? you nailed that. you nailed it. you nailed it. the joke was great. it's time for our girl bobbie thomas. >> bobbie. >> bobbie didn't get it at all. hi, bobster. >> i'm so excited about "today's buzz." these are great items for kids. these stuffed animals are not just any stuffed animals. they're called softies. this is a huge craze. look at this little wand. >> crazy. >> a huge craze online this woman carol, she took drawings of real children from across the country and turned them into real stuffed animals. >> so smart. >> she was so busy the actual person we called said, please, i can't be on the show, we're 600 orders behind. this is a huge trend. >> so adorable. >> next are shoes. angelina jolie's kids are

running around in them. they're about embracing difference. they're not supposed to match. i know you love the nonmatching things. proceeds go to children's charities. l.a. but not least, if you want to trust me, because the package says so, this is squishy bath. the kids can play in this slime and you can pick any color and when it's done, it's nontoxic, not supposed to stain, and will drain. >> then what happens? >> it turns back into water and then you drain it. >> okay. we love you, sweetheart. thank you. >> coming up next, the new star in this film called "silent house." >> mary kate and ashley's younger sister elizabeth olsen is making a name for herself. >> and sara haines gives cupcakes a twirl. [ lane ] your anti-wrinkle cream is gone.

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[ male announcer ] for a bag that grips the can... get glad forceflex. ♪ small change, big difference. ooh gas. take an antacid. oh thanks. good luck. good luck to you. doesn't he know antacids won't help gas? oh, he knows. [ male announcer ] antacids don't relieve gas. gas-x is designed to relieve gas. gas-x. the gas xperts. although she hairs her last name with her older sisters mary kate and ashley, elizabeth making a name for herself. >> starring in five movies slated for release this year alone. her latest, "silent house," will keep you on the edge of your seat. take a look.

[ thumping ] >> ah! >> oh. give up my leg. lizzie, who knew that was happening, is with us today. great to see you. >> great to be here. >> a fascinating movie for so many reasons. for one, it's one continuous camera shot for 88 minutes. >> looks like it, yeah. we didn't film it that way, but that's what it looks like, so the tension never really lets up ever. >> which who's the director? >> it's a couple, chris and laura. >> now, the premise is what, you're in this house. i see you walking with your dad at one point. what's the premise of this movie? >> the premise is a family packing up their summer home and things just end up going awry, kind of like a home invasion-type story. it's fun.

>> terrifying because it could be so real. the big monster stuff never gets to me because i don't believe in monsters. but nibble those scenarios. >> yeah. it has a psychological twist at the end, which is also frightening. >> now, you're getting a gazillion things now. what was it about a script like this? had you done like four romantic comedies and ready for something juicy? >> this just happened to be the third job i ever got, kind of like begging for a job at this point. i just got lucky. for some reason my first two out of three jobs were really intense psychological damaged women. so i guess for some reason that just works out. >> you don't seem that way at all. >> very complicated. >> obviously your two famous sisters, was it hard to step out from behind the shadows and be your own person? >> yeah. i think i had a complex about it when i was younger. but i feel like when you get to your 20s you start having more confidence as a person. >> sure. >> you don't think of things that way. >> did you always want to be an

actress separate and apart from watching them do what they did? >> yeah, it's what i did. my friends and i were always doing theater, writing, dancing, putting an to show, big hams. we had the best time. >> do you help each other out in the business? >> i am wearing the row. >> oh, really. >> beautiful. i love that color. >> they give me lots of clothes to wear. >> i bet they do. >> now, you have five movies that are coming out. do you have a lot of other stuff that's coming ahead for you? >> i do. i'm going to start filming three movies back-to-back. i'm not the lead in all those. it's just, you know, playing different types of parts. i'm just having a fun time being a working actor and thankful that i get to do that. >> two best words, right, working actor. >> yeah. feels great. >> so much better than, i'm an actor. i'm a working actor. >> thanks for coming in. >> absolutely. >> say hello to the twins for us. >> i will. >> that creepy movie opens today

in theaters nationwide. >> up next, sara and the cupcakes. i'm here at walmart with tiffany who drives around town looking for low prices. that burns a lot of gas. yep. want to see if this walmart low price guarantee can help you out with that? ok! every week they lower thousands of prices and check over 30,000 competitor prices. check out that low price. you want to grab one? grab two. what happens if she does find a lower advertised price somewhere else? i'll match it right here. so what did you learn today? every dollar counts and now i get to bring more home to my family. [ male announcer ] that's the walmart low price guarantee! see for yourself how much it can save you. [ male announcer ] that's the walmart low price guarantee! here's to my pants not leaving marks on my waist. achieve small wins with a healthy lifestyle and dannon light & fit. the light fresh yogurt with 80 calories vs. 100 in the other leading brand. here's to 80 calories tasting crazy good. live light and fit. anti-aging cream undeniably. it creamed unbelievably a $500 cream.

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i created my own cupcake tour and did the tasting for you at four different sweet spots all over manhattan. my first stop was magnolia bakery on the upper west side. these retro cupcakes were a favorite in "sex and the city." bobby lloyd is the chief baking officer. i recognize magnolia cupcakes by the swirls. is that hard to do? >> it is very hard to do. it can take our staff anywhere from 8 to 40 hours to perfect their magnolia swirl. your cupcake ever so gently and lift up. >> oh, yes! it's in there. >> see? >> that's a nice swirl. i wanted to show off my skills to the master cupcake froster leona. you're an artiste. that's a swirl. leona, cheers. that was really -- i probably shouldn't touch your cake. but i didn't come to magnolia to

swirl. i also wanted to taste. who's going to give me a bite of their cupcake? oh! oh! will not give me a hug. these are kind of boys i meet. i followed my sweet tooth to babycakes nyc on the lower east side. a cupcake mecca for vegans. are they really the healthy option or am i fooling myself? >> a lot of people think it's much healthier to be gluten free. we eat a lot of overprocessed cheat in our everyday life. so, i mean, i think it's definitely healthier. >> interesting bite. time for a taste test challenge, a gluten-free brownie mint cupcake. >> right? >> it tastes like the ice cream. >> we also do frosting shots if you didn't get enough frosting. you can get a shot of that. >> ready? go. cheers. that rocked. i'm here in manhattan's west

village at sweet revenge. and as you can see, it's actually happy hour. happy hour with cupcakes. so fourth hour. marleau scott is the creator behind the cupcake wine and beer pairing. is that like a chaser or -- >> like a chaser but while it's in your mouth you're going to try it because then you're going to see how the flavors work together. >> there's wine in the cupcakes? >> there is, in the frosting. >> this is like a combo. you want to try this? you look like you're busy, really hard at work and i think a beer helps studying so often. >> that's really good. >> cheers. >> cupcakes and alcohol. >> my final stop was toni's minis bakery in harlem, where cupcakes come in all shapes and sizes. >> we have the mini, the california sized and the hollywood size. >> customers custom order their cupcake, and i was taking requests. i'm going for the loop deloo.

do you have a particular color you like? i think the red would be good. would you like to quality control to make sure they're good? yeah. we'll both do that together. those are good. right? you're going to find some of this later when you shower because it's going to go down your shirt, i guarantee it. go, go, go. >> all right. >> was that maybe your best cupcake you've ever had? >> yeah. >> what did i tell you to say earlier? when it comes down to it, i learned the best cupcakes are the ones shared with friends. whoa. come on. i feel like we're at our wedding feeding each other. did that feel awkward for you? "i do." i would never come empty-handed, lady, so i brought some treats. >> oh, my gosh. >> seriously, these are amazing. they're all amazing. >> from marleau's? >> yep. >> these are gluten free. >> they are? >> okay.

>> so they're healthy. fat free. >> i like the coconut one over there, please. >> yeah. >> thank you, sara. good job. still ahead, what's on your man's mind? donny deutsch of course has all the answers. and we'll make sure your teenaged girl is dressed right for the prom. kids are getting a dependable clean in the bathroom?

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$89.99 a month, guaranteed for two years. first time we saw tv on fios was amazing. i was just in a...trance watching it. i'm discovering new channels every day. [ male announcer ] go online for this great price and get $300 back with a two-year contract. don't miss this last chance. fios internet...the speed, you can't compare. i'm able to take care of things much faster now. [ male announcer ] get fios online... $89.99 a month, guaranteed for two years... plus, $300 back with a two-year contract. last chance for this great deal. or ask about our no annual contract option. is change good? in this case, change is very good. [ male announcer ] visit verizon.com/greatprice. call the verizon center for customers with disabilities that's verizon.com/greatprice. at 800-974-6006 tty/v. fios. a network ahead.

can i have the definition? swapportunity: the opportunity to swap a higher calorie snack for a yoplait light. can you use it in a sentence? mmm. swapping a 300 calorie donut for this 110 calorie strawberry shortcake is a good swapportunity. that's not a real word. oh haha it's real. [ female announcer ] delicious, creamy, yoplait light. over 30 flavors each around 100 calories. do the swap today.

♪ you think that you love me we're back on this try day friday with our resident man's men, donny deutschman. >> who knows the song, which i find impressive. >> look at him. i bet he ripped it up. >> you know what he does. he's here to set the ladies straight with his opinions. of course it's called "the other view." >> hey, donny. >> hi, crazy kids. >> we're good. how are you? let's get right to it. >> go, sara. >> the fist is from beverly. how long after you started dating and seem to be getting along very well do you have the dtr, the define the relationship talk? >> i get shivers. first of all, don't ever have that conversation. the one thing i think you need to clear up and certainly with

the man is when are we exclusive and when are we exclusive intimately. you have a right to say if we're going to be together that way i don't expect you to be with other women. other than that, what is the definition of -- are we girlfriend, are we this. let it happen organically. guys hate that. >> hate that. >> and if you have to have that conversation you're not in a good relationship. >> the one conversation about exclusivity is a very logistical thing you need to have. >> i wonder if snooki had that with her boyfriend. >> from christy. my husband suffers from low self-esteem and because he doesn't like his body or appearance he always presumes i don't either. it's put a strain on our love life. what can i say or do that will change things? >> usually that's reversed. >> you know there's nothing another person can do for that. if your husband has that issue, you can tell him, whether you're making it um or it's the truth, you're hot, i love you. a woman can't get that or a man from the spouse. that's got to come from here. i don't mean to be --

>> we've talked about this before. can't you have a conversation saying let's work out together. i'll join you. >> the issue -- the issue is she's okay with him. she doesn't feel good about himself. >> i know, but if he's not, that's a way psychologically to get him to do something about himself. >> if you have -- if you don't love your body, you're with someone who has a worse body than you do and you feel better. that's my whole fat guy thing. makes me look great. >> little tip. >> joanne lamarco, write that down. >> next question is generally speaking do men shy away from single women who have children from a previous marriage or relationship? does that raise a red flag to them. first of all, to me, that's always been attractive. mothers are attractive. if that's a red flag, roll it up the flagpole and take it. it's not for all men, and if it's not, that's not the right

guy. if you're a woman who has children, price of entry is a guy that's going to love that and appreciate that. >> not negotiable. >> if some guys don't want it, not for you. that simple. i married a woman with a small child and took her on as my own. i've done a whole bunch of stuff. too complicated. >> you've done a lot. >> you've done it all. >> that's why they call me -- >> donny, donny deutschman. >> no. what did i say before that guys like to be called? >> kings. >> thank you. >> i was going to say pimp, but okay. >> pimp daddy, by the way. call me by my name. >> stop it. >> alicia wants to know do men need as much attention and praise as women do? i know when i get all dressed up and my husband doesn't say anything, i get upset. are men as sensitive in this area? >> it depends on the guy. i like when a woman says, hey, you look great. we're all human beings. what guy doesn't want to be told they look great or be called --

>> king. >> thank you. >> you are crazy. >> go ahead, sara. >> amanda -- >> letting us -- >> no. >> i didn't -- like her last few weeks of pregnancy and little -- so she's not watching the store too much, if you know what i'm talking about. >> the next question from amanda. i've been with my fiance for nine years and haven't gotten married. we do everything together, i don't understand why he hasn't married me yet. >> got to put it on the line. you sound happy but, like, put it on the line. i want to get married. that's it. the old ultimatum. >> thank you so much. >> you love ultimatums, right? >> all right, kids. next up, we are dancing the night away. the hottest trends in prom dresses. what is that? new crystal light energy -- for women. oh, right -- cause we can't handle a guy's energy drink? how do you plan to keep up drinking that girly -- hey! [ gasps ] ♪

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♪ ...creamy peanut butter, and a rich dark chocolate flavor. plus, 10 grams of great tasting protein in every bar. so it's energy straight from nature to you. new nature valley protein bars. find them in the granola bar aisle. prom can be the biggest, most fun party in high school, and now it's time for the girls to start shopping for dresses that they'll always remember. >> the editor in chief of "17" magazine has some ideas along with awesome shoes. >> yes, she does. came the to play. how are you? >> i'm dressing for you ladies. >> a tough thing for teens trying to find the right prom dress. right? they start in the fall, don't they. >> they start years before prom. they've been dreaming of this day for years. this is every teen girl's red carpet moment. >> yeah. >> let's bring alex out. she's our first model.

she's got a strapless char truz -- >> this is the "it" color of the season, this acid green color, really hot. >> beautiful. >> altered fashion. when you have the nice little knot on the side, it makes it really comfortable for dancing. when you're wearing a dress with a slit, though, you always need to make sure you do a little wig until front of the mirror and do a check so you don't have any wardrobe malfunctions. >> good one. stick it out there, baby. be proud. >> is this for any kind of body type or just hers? >> well, she looks amazing. this long column dress looks amazing on a tall girl, but it's great for girls with curves because it just floats over the curves. >> so pretty. >> thank you. >> let's bring out helen next. she's wearing something really trendy. the low-high things. >> isn't that beautiful. >> yep. and the color makes it classy. it's still trendy, but the color makes it really classy. >> it's very lady-like as opposed to trashy.

you see so many girls lie thai look like hookers going to the prom. these are beautiful. >> when you're wearing a high-low and one shoulder, it's all about ak celtics rising with the bracelets. >> and that ring. >> and the shoes. >> yeah. >> so much time looking for the right shoes, this is the only dress that's going to let you do that. >> thank you. >> next up is megan. this is a dress that's flattering for a curvy girl. hi. >> yep. >> i like that. >> this is such a red carpet moment for her. major hollywood. but the waist sucks you in at your tiniest point and then just cascades over your curves. it's comfortable. you can dance in this dress. you can eat dinner this dress. >> yeah. some attention in that red. >> that red is just stand out in a room. >> and you always wonder when it's off the shoulder what kind of necklace or something to wear. you put a nice one on her. >> earrings and a necklace. this is $258. >> and the side pony hip, too.

>> megan, you're all up in it. danielle is next and she has sequins which is a big trend, obviously. big trend at the oscars. >> like mrs. america time. >> glamazon. va vavavavoom. it's classy, not too flashy like a dils coe ball. it's a soft pink. it's really giving her -- it's lighting up her skin tone, amazing for a girl of her skin tone. she just looks elegant and she's going to stand out in a room of black dresses. >> speaking of black dresses, we have a column dress, which is absolutely gorgeous. >> we all have these prom pictures where we krin nl at what we looked like. >> never cringe with that one. >> you'll never cringe in this dress. this is her audrey hepburn moment. >> beautiful. >> the mermaid shape where it sort of hugs to the body and flares out at the bottom gives a girl curves. if you're more of a straight girl, it gives you hips and a

butt and a little extra. >> all the kardashians in that short-lived wedding had her maid dresses on. >> vera wang. >> thank you. >> you all look beautiful. >> no dress would be complete without a pair of spanx, what do you think? >> we told you yesterday she's a billionaire because she invented spanx and not you. >> i did! i stand on that. i'm so happy for you, sara. >> thank you. >> i am. >> thank you. >> you thought it through. and i hadn't learn dodd that yet. so good for you. >> thank you. i come bearing spanx. i'm not going to prom, but i am with a lot of people on their prom day. >> yes, you are. >> congratulations. >> thank you. >> more power. >> who has spanx on right now? >> i do. >> i took mine off because i knew she was coming. >> you have them on underneath those pants. >> i do. these are the ones that i cannot live without.

i wear them under all my pants. you adjust the band. no panty lines, nice and firm. >> continue gralts on forbes, by the way, and the billion dollars. >> crazy. >> every time there's a spanx alert, there should be -- >> check, baby. >> she's such an inspiration to young women that what she did with her business -- >> with no training in that area. >> look up to you tremendously. >> thank you. >> real spirit. >> thank you. >> always good to see you. >> thanks so much. >> thanks a lot. up next, how to clean up your gadgets. [ female announcer ] to get a professional cleaning system

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to let you shape shift your look from straight to curls... to up-do. the new herbal essences stylers -- this shape shifts everything. ooh gas. take an antacid. oh thanks. good luck. good luck to you. doesn't he know antacids won't help gas? oh, he knows. [ male announcer ] antacids don't relieve gas. gas-x is designed to relieve gas. gas-x. the gas xperts.

those five food groups sound a whole lot better when you put them in a taco shell instead of a pyramid. old el paso. when you gotta have mexican. fantastic! pro-gresso ] they fit! okay-y... okay??? i've been eating progresso and now my favorite old jeans...fit. okay is there a woman i can talk to? [ male announcer ] progresso. 40 soups 100 calories or less. ♪ check it out >> and you on "today's tech," it is gadgets for germophobes. >> if it's cold and flu season has you constantly reaching for a bot offensively hand

sanitizer, there are gadgets that can kill germs. >> here with the best tech toys to keep you germ free is an thaw author in "pc" magazine. >> how are you? >> very good. >> good to see you. >> i think of cleaning my keyboard when i see food on it or makeup or something, something that you can see. but you should be cleaning it more often. >> you really should. >> that's when i clean it. >> not that she's going to, but you should. >> this is the thing about key boards and all the technology we use. we touch it aefr day and never wash it off with soap and water. that's a little weird. >> and you know where your hands have been. >> you can't wash every keyboard, but there are some that are washable and protect you if you get coffee spilled on them. this is made of anti-bacterial plastic. you can wash it with soap and water, totally fine. >> we can wipe it down? >> absolutely. >> lhow do you get in the nooks and crannies if you had cupcakes? >> we'll get to that. but first this is the washable

mouse. you can wash these off with soap and water but don't get the water in the usb cable. other than that, do anything you want. >> what's this for? >> this is how you get many the nooks and crannies. this is cyber clean, like anti-bacterial silly puddy. >> what do you do? >> first of all, it's a little creepy to hold onto but it gets into the cracks and crannies. >> peel it up? >> you're going to get dust, food particles, kill all the germs that are in there. you just fold it up, leave it in there. when this turns green like a dark-colored green, throw it out. >> dark. ew. >> okay. >> i want to see that color. >> what about wipes? can you use any kind of wipes? >> i would not use any kind of wipe. some are just for electronics, and the thing is they don't have any chlorine or clorox bleach and no moisturizers, which you want to keep out.

these are wireless wipes with kind of nice odors, green tea and pomegranate so your cell phone or your electronics smell better. >> we need to smell like green tea. >> all right. i've seen people take their blackberries into the restroom, public restrooms, and people do, the phone rings, they say hello. they're on it, close it up, they leave. what should we do to clean our blackberries? >> the statistics say 1 in 6 phones out there have more fecal matter on them than your average public toilet seat. it's kind of important to wipe down your phones. we covered the wipes. this is the violight cell phone sanitizer. put your phone in there. it gets totally decontaminated. >> how about your toothbrush? how do you clean that? >> this is the same company, incidental incidentally, but a kid friendly product called the sp ted the z. you drop your toothbrush in

there. >> no cleaning fluid? >> it's all uv light. it beams it, takes about 45, 50 seconds and just kills -- breaks up all the dna and bacteria. >> what's the last thing you've got? >> this is asteripen. it sanitizes a bottle of water using the same technology. if you're out camping or don't have access to clean water, this is a great device. again, the same technology. uv light. >> that wasn't so tough, was it. >> not bad at all. >> good for you. >> up next, stretching that dollar. feeding a family of four for under 10 bucks.

now on "today's kitchen," getting saucy with recipes that can feed a family of four for less than $10. >> cooking light's contributing

editor allison fishman. >> so pretty today. >> thank you. >> nice color. >> bring out the spring. >> under $10. >> under $10. >> you promise? >> so promise. delicious and good for you. >> what are we making? >> first, this is a sausage ragu, so i've got the sausage going right in there. onions. >> is that what that is? >> yes, ma'am. a little bit of garlic. and tomato sauce. we at "cooking light" like a low-sodium sauce, less than 350 milligrams. ? a little bit of water. >> finished version. >> olive oil? >> no. we had some in the pan. >> what are we putting that over? >> we are putting this -- this is what we love the do in the column, which is surprise people. creamy palenta can be inexpensive. this cheese less expensive than the parmesan. >> unbelievable.

there you go. >> yes, it is. >> thank you very much. want to top me off? >> yeah. wow. nice. beautiful. >> a family of four for under $10. >> that's great. >> and it looks so beautiful. >> absolutely delicious. >> all right. we've got some chicken going back here. >> all right. let's hit it. this i'm really fired up about. this is actually buffalo chicken thighs. of course chicken wings is an indulgen indulgence, but you can have thighs for dinner. >> i like thighs. >> i do, too. >> i'm a breast man. >> now, this is going to be obviously thighs are much less expensive than the breasts. i'm going to make a flour mixture. flour, salt, kay yen pepper, garlic. >> like a shake and bake. >> it is. >> help me out. >> thank you very much. what's cool about this is we take off the skin where all the calories are. and we're replacing it with this little coating. >> right. >> shake it up. >> shake it up. >> shake it up. stick it in here. we have to turn these guys. you can see --

>> for how long on each side? >> about two, three minutes per side. then we pop them in the oven for about ten minute ps. >> to brown them. >> exactly. >> little potato side dish? little russets. so good for you. >> very good for you. good time of year for these guys. we're going to add some buttermilk. and if we're going down the buffalo route, we have to do blue cheese. >> dump it in there. >> do it. >> i mash away. >> your final thing? >> that is the final -- okay. >> the salad. that looks great. all this for under 10 bucks. >> great shrimp over here. you can just brush that right on top. >> adorable. >> thank you. >> under 10 bucks. next week, actress lucy liu and joel mchale. >> and the entire cast of "the jersey shore." >> uh-oh. i wonder if snooki will talk to me. >> set your clocks forward. i was paying too much with cable.

paying so much, you want better quality. it just got more frustrating and frustrating. for the amount of money that i'm paying, my cable company should take care of me. [ male announcer ] stop paying for second best. switch to verizon fios tv, internet and phone with our best deal online... $89.99 a month, guaranteed for two years. first time we saw tv on fios was amazing. i was just in a...trance watching it. i'm discovering new channels every day. [ male announcer ] go online for this great price and get $300 back with a two-year contract. don't miss this last chance. fios internet...the speed, you can't compare. i'm able to take care of things much faster now. [ male announcer ] get fios online... $89.99 a month, guaranteed for two years... plus, $300 back with a two-year contract. last chance for this great deal. or ask about our no annual contract option. is change good? in this case, change is very good. [ male announcer ] visit verizon.com/greatprice. call the verizon center for customers with disabilities that's verizon.com/greatprice. at 800-974-6006 tty/v. fios. a network ahead.