Transcripts For WRC Today 20100310

good morning. say what? former new york congressman eric massa admits to groping a male staffer. >> not only did i grope him, i tickled him until he couldn't breathe and four guys jumped on top of me. >> then, just hours later, he takes it back. he's resigned, but is the controversy really behind him? 7-year-old hero. >> they ring the door, and they have guns to shoot my mom and dad. >>ight now? >> yes. can you come really fast? >> a brave, young boy's dramatic 911 call that may have saved his family from would-be robbers. and what's in a name? lindsay lohan files a $100 million lawsuit, claiming this television ad makes a mockery of her. does she really have a case or is she the one being the baby today, wednesday, march 10th, 2010? captions paid for by nbc-universal television and good morning. welcome to "today" on a wednesday morning. i'm matt lauer alongside meredith vieira, who is back from her oscar trip to hollywood. did you take the new boat back from l.a.? >> now, that is so wrong. >> nice to have you back. >> nice to have you back, too. i didn't know there was a boat leaving. >> you should try it next time. >> were you watching cable television yesterday with massa? >> i watched a little bit, yeah. >> i watched both shows. you may have found yourself in a state of disbelief, former new york congressmanric massa spoke out about allegations of harassing male members of his staff. first in a commentary with glenn beck, he acknowledged groping at least one man, but a short time later on "larry king live," he said he never admitted groping anyone. massa has resigned, but doesn't seem to be going out quietly. we'll have much more on what's become a bizarre story, coming up. also ahead, another accident, apparently involving a prius and a stuck accelerator. a new york woman claims that her toyota prius accelerated on its own, causing her to slam into a wall. now, this comes a day after a california man says the accelerator on his prius got stuck on a san diego freeway. coming up, we'll hear part of the frantic 911 call that driver made as he dodged in and out of traffic for some 30 miles at speeds of more than 90 miles an hour. >> yeah, he's lucky he's alive. >> he is. >> very lucky. but we begin this morning with the latest fallout over new york congressman eric massa's resignation. nbc's kelly o'donnell is on capitol hill with the latest. good morning to you, kelly. >> reporter: good morning, meredith. here we go with another turn in what has been an unusual drama. eric massa is a democrat from new york state, and he went on cable and gave two interviews where he poured out details about his bankrupt resignation, his cancer and his behavior towards staffers that he called inappropriate. >> admitting that he groped a staffer. >> reporter: an unfolding scandal made for cable. >> he could be an angel, he could be a complete dirtbag. >> reporter: hours after additional allegations surfaced suggesting there were many incidents of harassment, former congressman eric massa made this surprising admission to glenn beck on fox news. >> now they're saying i groped a male staffer. yeah, i did. not only did i grope him, i tickled him until he couldn't breathe and then four guys jumped on top of me. >> reporter: massa said that happened at his 50th birthday party last fall while the new york congressman was rooming in d.c. with bachelors on his staff to save money. >> my chief of staff had a conniption and said you can't live there. that's not congressional. so, i moved into my office. >> reporter: but later, in a second interview with cnn's larry king, massa back-tracked and said he had not groped a staffer. >> in fact, i never admitted groping. >> reporter: massa denied any sexual contact. >> did you ever touch anybody sexually -- >> no. >> or grope anybody sexually? >> no. no, no, no. >> okay. >> have you ever had an inappropriate sexual contact with anybody on your staff, male or female? >> no. >> reporter: a married father of two, massa bristled at this question. >> are you gay? >> well, here's that answer -- i'm not going to answer that. >> reporter: in a separate tv project called "the freshmen," the first-term congressman described his unusual living arrangements. >> i have two kids in college. i can't afford to spend a lot of money on an apartment in washington, d.c. crash on the couch, go to the gym, catch a shower in the morning. trust me, i've slept in worse. >> reporter: massa admitted he had been too familiar with staffers but claimed that had been acceptable conduct during his 24 years as a navy officer. he hinted more personal details may still come out. >> i'm sure there's text messages, because we bantered back and forth all the time. >> reporter: beyond his personal conduct, a huge political fallout, and even there, more confusion. >> and i owe an apology, i do. >> reporter: massa appeared to apologize for harsh things said on the radio about pressure tactics coming from white house chief of staff rahm emanuel, but then added this -- >> i said he'd tie his kids to the railroad to get a vote. he wouldn't do that. he'd tie my kids to the railroad to get a vote. >> reporter: in the end, massa still claims his opposition to the health care bill led to his fall. >> you end up bucking your party, you're out. >> reporter: and when pressed, massa could not name a spefic democratic leader or a time and place when he was pushed to resign his office. he talked about some general pressure when his votes didn't line up with the white house, but he couldn't go any further. meredith? >> all right, kelly o'donnell, thank you. for more on the fallout over eric massa's resignation, we welcome in house minority whip eric cantor of virginia and house majority leader steny hoyer of maryland. congressmen, good morning to you both. >> good morning. >> congressman hoyer, if i could start with you. i want to ask you directly, was there ever any orchestrated effort by the democratic leadership to oust congressman massa? >> absolutely not, period. >> period. any pressure put on him at any time? >> no, absolutely not. >> was there ever any effort to keep him there? i mean, many people are investigated and they don't resign during an investigation. >> well, as you know, the facts are that one of his staffers called me on february 8th, on monday. my staff got a hold of me the next tuesday. we were out, got a hold of me the next day. i told them that they need to respond to this staffer, that he needed to immediately bring this to the attention of the ethics committee. these were serious allegations and needed to be dealt with, and i said further, if you don't make the complaint, i will. and within the next 48 hours, i was told that, in fact, that they had contacted the ethics committee, and that was confirmed. >> did you ever talk to congressman massa directly about these allegations? >> no, i did not. >> and why not? >> well, because i thought the ethics committee was the appropriate venue in which to have this matter quickly investigated and resolved, and in fact, of course, within three weeks, as you know, the congressman decided that the charges that were pending, or the situation that existed, was serious enough that he was going to resign from congress. initially, of course, he said that his cancer, which he had had, had reoccurred. obviously, a sad occasion. but then went on to say that there was going to be inappropriate behavior brought out and he thought it best to leave. and so, the situation was resol resolv resolved within just a few weeks. >> there are reports now that the house ethics committee had heard about staffers complaining about him over a year ago. they're now hearing this. had you ever heard rumblings? >> no. >> never, prior to last week? >> no. the first i heard about -- not last week -- the first i heard about this was february 8th -- >> i'm sorry, february 8th. >> excuse me, my staff heard about it. we were not in session. we were on the presidents' day break. the next day, they tried to get a hold of me. i think they probably got a hold of me wednesday, which is when i said -- no, tuesday, i said get a hold of the staffer. they got a hold of the staffer onednesday and indicated that he ought to make immediate complaints to the ethics committee so that they could address this matter immediately. it was a serious allegations that were being made and i thought they needed to be dealt with immediately. and of course, as you know, they were and the result was shortly thereafter mr. massa decided that he wasoing to resign from the congress. >> let me bring in congressman canter, if i can. some of the republicans have rallied around massa as an example of the democrats trying to ram through health care reform legislation. do you believe that he was pressured at all to leave congress? >> meredith, i think, like most of your viewers this morning, i think i'm a little taken aback and stunned by all of this, and i know that steny joins me in hoping that the ethics committee in congress looks into this adequately and can get to the bottom of all this. >> but again, to ask you directly, do you believe that he was pressured by the democratic leadership? >> meredith, i'm just getting the ws like you are, so again, i don't know the facts of this at all. i know that the american people are sickened by all of this that has gone on, and i think that the best place for this to be resolved is in the ethics committee and let's get to the bottom of it. >> but for those republicans who have rallied around him, massa used him as sort of a spotlight on what they see as the democrats trying to foist health care reform on this country, do you feel they're making a mistake to use him? >> well, again, some may want to involve mr. massa or not. i think when we're talking about health care, meredith, we've got a bill that is going to affect every american, and there's no question that if the bill was a good bill, we'd have an up-or-down vote right now. and what we're talking abouts a process that really is short-circuiting the rules, that will try and get a bill passed from a very, very tight vote, a very partisan vote. and frankly, i think that there is a better way that we can work together and accomplish something for health care reform. >> do you think that democrats -- >> meredith, can i interject? >> absolutely. >> first of all, let me say, i think there were some people who did jump in and try to use this for political purposes. this was a situation that needed to be dealt with immediately. it was. and actually, it has been taken and the member's now not in congress. with respect to the health care bill, it's clear -- and mr. massa indicates that, although his statements, as you point out in the opening, are confusing and contradictory -- he nevertheless points out that he wasn't pressured, that he made this decision himself, that there was inappropriate behavior and that he took that action. on the health care bill, let us remember, this bill passed consistent with the rules with 60 votes through the united states senate. it passed with a majority in the house of representatives. we're now resolving differences. we have differences, mr. canter and i, as to the merits of the bill. we believe it is an excellent piece of legislation that will bring costs down, will give transparent markets available to individuals so they can get the kind of insurance that they need and want. >> quickly, congressman hoyer and also congressman canter, yes or no, will this bill be voted on before the president leaves for asia on march 18th? congressman hoyer, yes or no? >> that's our objective. >> and congressman canter? >> meredith, all i can say -- >> meredith, let me recall that -- >> -- is if it was a good bill, we'd be voting on it now, wouldn't have to be talking about circumventing the rules. and really, we'll end up circumventing the will of the american people and that's what we ought to be focused on right now, meredith, positive health care reform -- >> i'll let you have the last word, quickly. >> there is no circumventing of the rules and mr. canter knows there's no circumventing of the rules. and when i said the 18th, we hope to have this vote before we break for the easter break. >> all right, house majority leader steny hoyer, house minority whip eric cantor. thank you both. to be continued. it is now 7:12 and here's matt. >> meredith, thank you. there is another claim this morning that yet another toyota prius accelerated out of control on its own, this time in new york. we're also hearing the panicked 911 call made on monday by the california driver who says his prius did the very same thing. cnbc's phil lebeau covers the auto industry. phil, good morning. >> reporter: good morning, matt. these two incidents raise more questions about the safety and reliability of toyotas. let's talk about this incident in harrison, new york. a woman was pulling out of her driveway in her 2005 prius when she says it suddenly accelerated, shot across the street, ran into a brick wall, left boulders and smashed in the front end of her prius. she suffered nonlife-threatening injuries. interesting thing about this case, the floor mats in her vehicle had already been tied to the seat, so they were not involved in the car suddenly speeding up. this comes one day after a runaway prius in california played out before people watching on tv, and the call from the driver calling for help. listen t what he had to say as he was calling 911. it was a terrifying ride. the man behind the wheel of this 2008 prius says his car went out of control along a san diego freeway. james sikes says he was trying to pass another vehicle when his prius began accelerating out of control, whipping in and out of traffic at a speed of 94 miles an hour. he called 911. >> hello, this is 911. do you have an emergency? >> my car can't slow down. >> you can't slow it down? >> no. >> sikes sounded panicked as he tried to bring the prius under control. >> is there a way you can put the car in neutral, sir? >> no. >> no? have you tried to put it in neutral? >> i'm trying to control the car. >> sir, if you can hear me, we have help on the way. >> my brakes are burned. >> reporter: in the 23-minute 911 call, you can hear sikes dodging vehicles. >> ahh -- [ bleep ]. >> reporter: finally, a highway patrol officer was able to pull alongside. through his loud speaker, he relayed information to sikes to put pressure on the brake and to use the emergency brake to try to slow the car down. >> okay, i got the highway patrol around me. we're doing over 90. >> you're over 90? >> yeah, hold on. >> okay. >> he was, what we'd say standing on the brake pedal. i mean, he had both hands on the wheel. i could tell his body was lifting up in the seat, indicating he was giving all the brake application he could. >> reporter: with the officer's help, after a 30-mile, harrowing ride, the prius slowed down and coasted to safety. >> you have to be there. you really have to be there. i mean, when you're doing 94 miles an hour and you're going around curves and you're missing cars, it's not a play thing. >> reporter: sikes now says he received a recall slip from toyota three weeks ago and took his prius to the dealership, but mechanics told him his make and model were not part of a recall. in fact, his prius is among 5.3 million toyotas recalled because the automaker says it has a loose floor mat that can force the gas pedal down and cause the car to speed up unintentionally. still, toyota has yet to finalize the exact modification for the '08 prius sikes was driving. the car is now back at the very same dealership, as toyota engineers and federal investigators begin looking for what sent sikes' car on its wild ride. there are now two investigators from the national highway traffic safety administration along with engineers from toyota looking at that prius in calirnia. there will also be investigators checking out the prius that was involved in this unintended acceleration accident in harrison, new york. matt? >> all right, phil lebeau. phil, thank you very much. >> now let's get a check of the rest of the morning's top stories from ann curry at the news desk. good morning to you, ann. >> nice to have you back, meredith. >> thank you. >> good morning, matt. good morning, everybody. in the news this morning, in addition, the christian humanitarian organization was attacked in northwest pakistan this morning named world vision. suspected militants used grenades and bullets in the attack, which killed at least six employees of world vision. the u.s.-based aid group, which has been in pakistan helping victims of the 2005 earthquake, has now suspended its pakistan operations indefinitely. an american woman is being accused of trying to help terrorists overseas. an indictment unsealed on tuesday says that colleen larose, who called herself jihad jane online, is charged with using the internet to recruit people to help terrorists. she has been in custody since october. trying to bring peace in the middle east, vice president biden met this morning with palestinian president mahmoud abbas, and the palestinians and the u.s. are both upset with israel's plans to expand jewish settlements in east jerusalem. an old probation report is raising new questions about a convicted sex offender charged with killing california teenager chelsea king. we get more now from nbc's janet shamlian. >> reporter: the probation report on john gardner now seems like an eerie prediction of the future. it was prepared almost ten years ago when gardner, then 21, was about to be sentenced for molesting a 13-year-old neighbor. the psychiatrist said he -- gardner -- "is simply a baduy who is inordinately interested in young girls," recommending gardner be kept in prison for as long as possible. despite that dire warning, a pration officer recommended less than the maximum sentence because gardner had no prior record. he served just five years. >> the defense psychiatrist says he's obsessed with these crimes against these girls, and apparently, nobody did anything about it. >> reporter: now 30, gardner is charged with the murder of 17-year-old chelsea king, who disappeared during a jog in a san diego park two weeks ago. he's pleaded not guilty and is now also a suspect in the death of 14-year-old amber dubois, who went missing last year. her remains were found saturday. the doctor who issued that warning isn't talking now, but a colleague says he didn't want there to be any question about just how dangerous gardner was. meanwhile, the california department of corrections is under fire for destroying gardner's parole report. the agency keeps no electronic backup and says it would be overwhelmed by records if it didn't shred them quickly. janet shamlian, nbc news, los angeles. police in norwalk, california, are looking for three suspects in a home invasion on tuesday, and they're hailing a 7-year-old boy who called 911 as he hid in the bathroom wit his sister as the armed robbers were threatening his parents. >> can you tell me what happened? >> they come. they come. they open and ring the door and they have guns! can you come really fast? and bring soldiers, too. >> listen to me. where are you at in the house? >> inside the bathroom. >> you're in the bathroom? >> yes. >> who's with you? >> my sister. >> how old is she? >> 6 years old. can you come really fast? hurry up! >> yes. stay on the line with me. don't hang up. listen to me we're coming to help you, but listen to me, okay? >> okay. >> when you were in the house, tell me exactly what happened, okay? just stay where you are and don't hang up, whatever you do. >> okay. the guys, they have -- [ screaming ] >> the boy told the intruders he had called police and the suspects then fled. no one was hurt, nothing was taken and police say if not for the boy's brave actions, the home invasion could have ended tragically. it is now 7:19. let's go back to matt, meredith and al. harrowing to hear that. 7 years old. >> so powerful. >> i have an 8-year-old and a 6-year-old and you can't imagine the trauma that kid was going through in that bathroom. >> that he was able to call and do the -- >> do the right thing. >> like ann said, do the right thing, my god. >> lucky they had that outcome. >> yes. >> mr. roker, welcome back to you. >> thank you very much. >> very nice job, the two of you in los angeles. >> on the boat together, right? >> my plane got taken out of service, so, i didn't get home until after 1:00. planes, trains, automobiles. anyway, let's take a look, see what's happening. in the southeast, heavy rain, a lot of thunderstorms, and we're looking at rainfall amounts anywhere from one to three inches of rain from mississippi, alabama, on into georgia and the carolinas. and we've got a risk of severe storms, tornadoes, large hail, damaging winds from houston all the way into springfield, memphis, new orleans. some of it will happen overnight. rainfall amounts there, we're talking about one to three inches of rain as and other than maybe an isolated sprinkle through the south and west, there's going to be overcast skies so not as pretty yesterday. temperatures are in the mid 40s, 46 degrees in mt. pleasant. herndon is at 42 degrees. we'll rise to a high today of 63 degrees. better chance of rain comes thursday and especially friday and saturday and that's your latest weather. meredith? >> al, thank you. and just ahead, david letterman speaks out about the sudden and surprising admission of guilt by the man attempting to blackmail him over affairs with fem just ahead, some new help being offered to millions of u.s. homeowners whose houses are now worth less than they owe on the mortgage. how to tell if you qualify. plus, lindsay lohan versus lindsay "the milk holik" e-trade baby. the magic's in the mix. my favorite part? 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no, back here. how about over here? hmm... let's go back to the left. ... waffling is back at dunkin' donuts with the return of the waffle breakfast sandwich. two oven-toasted waffles with a hint of maple, complete with fluffy egg, a slice of melted cheese, and now with delicious sausage. so hurry in today because it's only around for a short time. america runs on dunkin'. try our oven-toasted waffle breakfast sandwich today, only at dunkin' donuts. we do have some gray skies, but other than a sprinkle or to, it's going to be dry. 46 deges is the temperature right now. stafford at 43 right now. we'll see a high of 63 degrees. some showers come our way tomorrow and a better chance for friday and saturday. >> on the belt way south of town, slow on the outer loop, off and on fm springfield toward telegraph road. an accident on new york avenue. now we're going to go back to the "today" show 7:30 on this wednesday morning, march 10th, 2010. we are very happy to welcome a good-looking crowd to the plaza on yet another beautiful day here in the heart of midtown manhattan. we'll head outside to hang out with them in just a while. meanwhile, i'm meredith vieira alongside matt lauer. and just ahead, david letterman opens up about the guilty plea from the former cbs news producer who has now admitted that he did try to blackmail letterman for $2 million and to ruin his career. we will hear from letterman in just a moment. also ahead, what is another developing legal drama involving another celebrity. lindsay lohan is now suing e-trade for $100 million, claiming that this television ad right here mocks her, but is anyone other than her attorney and perhaps her mom buyingit? we're going to get into that in just a while. it's a funny commercial, and i've never thought of lindsay lohan when i see that commercial, now i do every time. and if you heard about the bank bailouts and said what about me, well, now there is a new program designed to bail out homeowners in risk of foreclosure. we'll get the details on that, coming up. let us begin this half hour with that guilty plea in the blackmail plot against david letterman. nbc's jeff rossen was inside the courtroom when it happened yesterday. jeff, good morning to you. >> reporter: hey, matt, good morning to you. yeah, what a big turn-around here, right? and out of the blue, as well. it was a surprise move, to say the very least. in the very beginning, you'll remember joe halderman was saying this is just a giant misunderstanding, that he was never trying to shake david letterman down. but now he admits, yes, he is guilty, it was extortion, and he is going to jail. >> it's "the late show with david letterman"! >> reporter: on "the late show" tuesday night -- >> six months ago, i found myself in some legal trouble. >> reporter: -- a serious sigh of relief. in a surprise move tuesday, david letterman's extortionist came clean. former cbs news producer joe halderman. he pled guilty in open court to a felony, attempted grand larceny by extortion, raising his right hand and telling the judge, "i understand that my attempt to extort $2 million from david letterman violated his and his family's privacy." >> i've never been involved in anything like this all my life and i was concerned and full of anxiety and nervous and worried, and the people in the district attorney's office said this will be handled professionally, this will be handled skillfully and appropriately. well, the matter was resolved today and they were exactly right. >> reporter: as part of the plea deal, halderman will serve six months in jail, followed by 4 1/2 years of probation and 1,000 hours of community service, including tutoring former prisoners and the homeless. >> just wanted to say that, again, i apologize to mr. letterman, his family, to stephanie birkitt, her family, and certainly to my friends and family. >> there we go. >> reporter: stephanie birkitt, halderman's ex-girlfriend. she worked for letterman and reportedly slept with him. halderman threatened to write a tell-all screenplay, exposing letterman's affairs and tried to sell that screenplay to letterman for millions, butlerman didn't pay. instead, he turned the tables. remember this? >> i have had sex with women who work for me on this show. >> reporter: he went public and went to police. halderman was arrested for blackmail. at the time, halderman claimed it was just a normal business transaction. his lawyers vowed to take letterman down right here on "today." >> the prosecution's case in so many ways makes no sense. i look forward to cross examining david letterman. >> reporter: but now in his plea deal, halderman has completely changed his tune, saying "this so-called treatment was just a thinly-veiled threat to ruin mr. letterman if he did n pay me a lot of money." >> joe halderman had to plead guilty. he had no choice. had he gone to trial, he surely would have been convicted and his sentence would have been much harsher than this plea deal. for david letterman, a trial would have been a nightmare. this plea deal spares him the humiliation of a trial. >> reporter: as letterman praised new york police and prosecutors tuesday night -- >> thank you all for your help. we'll be right back, ladies and gentlemen. >> thanks for your help. >> you're welcome. >> reporter: -- joe halderman begins his new life as a convicted felon. >> i will not be doing any interviews and i thank you all for your patience. >> reporter: in fact, as part of his plea deal, joe halderman has agreed not to write about this case, not to make a movie about this case or anything involving david letterman. that means, matt, he can't profit at all from all of this. >> all right, jeff rossen. jeff, thank you very much. dan abrams is nbc's chief legal analyst. janice minute is t is former ed "us weekly." he says he won't be doing any interviews. he can't do any interviews about this. in the early stages of this, we haerld gerald shargel, the lawyer saying i'm going to take this to trial, put letterman on the stand, grill him about his personal life. what happened to the tough talk? >> well, it was in the end just talk. shargel will claim we had a novel defense, et cetera, et cetera. but the bottom line is there is something unfortunate about everything that transpired here, put aside the actual incident. but the fact that the defense attorney goes out and blasts letterman on a personal level, and then he made comparisons to the tiger woods situation, and that's what we kept hearing again and again from the defense. in the end, they didn't have much of a legal defense. >> but the tough talk was designed for a specific purpose. >> to get letterman not to want to testify. >> even thoh it was really up to the prosecution. but take me behind the scenes. how much input does a david letterman, who would not want to get up on that witness stand and talk about his personal life, how much input does he have with the prosecution in a case like this to get a plea deal? >> yeah, a lot. in the end, the decision is the prosecutors', meaning they could say, thank you, mr. letterman, for your input, we appreciate it, we've made another decision. with that said, in this kind of case, where there's a very specific victim -- and in this case, it's david letterman -- they're going to want his input. they're going to want to know how much do you not want to testify? how much of a deal should we cut? and i think that in this case, letterman was probably very involved. >> so, halderman gets prison time, pration, community service, all that. he can't write or talk about this. so, clearly, letterman is the legal winner. how did he do public relationswise, janice? >> you know, in the beginning, when he came on air and said he had done creepy things, i thought he handled it really well, that he addressed it head-on, was very honest about it, but i think he loses -- and there's this lingering creep factor. he used the word himself, that sticks to him. and when you're inviting people to watch you when they're at home late at night, maybe in bed, you kind of don't -- obviously, a large -- >> but it hasn't seemed to hurt him. >> it hasn't seemed to hurt him, but i think in terms of legacy, i think this is a guy who is a perfectionist, and i don't think he wants to have this little asterisk by, you know, in his biography forever. >> there is also another part, we don't know what his home life is like, you know? we know what he's like on air, late night, but we don't know whether, you know, this is fractured his relationship at home. >> i think what merrill markoe said in her statement before, for years i thought i was the only one dave had cheated on. you know, it seems clear that, you know, that regina lasko, his wife, probably knew this was kind of the relationship he was having. both merrill markoe had said regina had had an overlap with him for two years. so, obviously, it's incredibly humiliating and you can't get over that part. >> i think this is in the end one of the reasons people tend to dislike lawyers, right? is you have a lawyer who's representing, going out and blasting letterman and saying we're goingo defend this case, et cetera, and then they come back and they say i'm guilty. and it makes people say, wait - i'm not saying it's not unethical, it leads people to ask themselves, can we trust these people? >> you're a lawyer, right? >> i am, and people ask me that all the time. i'm pointing it out because it's me. separati. >> thanks. thanks janice as well. up next, let's get a check of the weather from al. >> dan, try being a weatherman. see how that goes. hey, we've got some nice cheerleaders here from notre dame. you're in town for a big game tonight? the big east tournament? >> yeah. >> who's going to win? >> notre dame! >> all right, case closed. let's check your weather, see what's happening. it is going to be awfully warm through the midwest into the northeast. st. louis, 15 degrees above normal, same in san antonio, 9 above in boston, raleigh, high of 67, up to 56 in chicago, al peta, michigan, 51 degrees. rest of the country, you can see the temperatures stay on the chilly s back through the plains, where they're looking at snow, rain ahead of it with 70s in the gulf, 40s in the pacific northwest, and we've got 80-degree readings a and right here and it will be another mild day for us with temperatures climbing into the low to mid 60s, but overcast skies tonight, there's the gray. by later on this afternoon, we'll have a little bit of filtered sunshine coming our way. right now we range anywhere from 40 to 46 degrees. in d.c. it's currently 46 degrees. so your high 63 today with maybe a sprinkle or two. then w very cute family here. you know that if you need to check your weather, you can go to weather channel on cable or weather.com online. did you know that? >> yes. >> you see? there you go, another satisfied customer, matt. >> all right, al, thank you very much. coming up next, your own personal bailout if you owe more on your home than it's worth right now. we'll talk about that after these messages. ♪ a little encouragement changes everything. molly es muy muy intelligente. and right now, hallmark's got a whole new way to do it. new gifts and cards to cheer on kids of all ages. come in and pick up a free card today. nine to choose from. only at your hallmark gold crown store. day after day, allergy season drags on. oh, how many days are you going to suffer? nasonex is the only prescription that'prov to help prevent most seasonal nasal allergy symptoms, including congestion, so you can have more symptom-free days. 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>> this is a program, it's a second alternative for people who have tried to get a loan modification but either haven't been able to or -- >> which was the other program. >> -- didn't succeed. right, that's the h.a.m.p. program people talk about. this is h.a.f.a. we're just full of little aabbreviations. and essentially, it's offering a formulaic short sale. so, if you want to be able to sell your home for less than the amount you owe on the mortgage, this is a sort of systemic way to do it. >> explain short sale, because i'm not sure people really understand what that is. >> right. as i said, it's where the lender, where the bank allows you to actually sell your home for less than you owe the mortgage, and the bank basically says we're going to just write off the rest of that bad debt. and right now you don't even have to pay taxes on that difference. >> and how does it work? what are the incentives? >> the incentives, the reason that people are going to come to the table and do this is because there's some cash available. homeowners themselves are going to get $1,500 in what they're callina relocation allowance. there's $1,000 for the holder of the primary mortgage -- the lender of the primary mortgage -- and also $1,000 for any sort of a second mortgage. and there are other incentives as well. i mean, this is sort of good for all parties because if you're the homeowner, you'll get out with a cleaner credit rating than if you were foreclosed upon, and if you're the lender, you don't have to foreclose, and that's a really expensive process. it can cost $20,000 to $40,000 to foreclose on a single ho homeown homeowner. it's good for neighborhoods, so people are hoping this will work. >> what about people who do not qualify for this, what options do they have then? >> well, essentially, it's a hierarchy. when you are unable to pay your mortgage, the first thing you're going to look at is refinancing and seeing if you can refinance in the regular way, which 4 million people did last year. then you look at -- >> that's the modification program -- >> well, no, that's just a plain vanilla refi. you go back to your lender, say can i refinance into an adjustable rate loan and lower my monthly payments? then you look at the modification. if you don't qualify for the modification or if you get into a trial and you're unable to make your payments there, then you look at this new hafa program and look at short selling or even deeding your home back to the bank, which is essentially just handing over the deed, the title, and walking away. >> you talked to someone from the treasury department the other day and they said not to confuse this. this is not a solution to the foreclosure program. >> right. as i said, this is a second-tier alternative, and the treasury department thinks this has been a little blown out of proportion, but it's still something good to have in your arsenal. you want to know this is available so you can bring it up when you make that call to your lender, whichagain, is the first step and so important for people to do. if you can't pay your bills, you pick up the phone, you call the lender. >> all right. jean chatzky, thank you so much. >> sure. and up next, is there any merit to lindsay lohan's $100 million lawsuit against the e-trade babies? 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[ female announcer ] splenda®. america's favorite no calorie sweetener. we're back now at 7:49. e-trade's latest talking baby ad was one of the most popular commercials during this year's super bowl. actress lindz yaey lohan saw it, and now she's filed a $100 million lawsuit claiming the ad hurts and defames her. nbc's lee cowan explains. >> reporter: of all the words used to describe lindsay lohan over the words, big fat baby have never comeup. but in court documents, the 23-year-old actress herself is now suggesting that she is a baby, wrongly portrayed in a tv commercial. >> and that milk-a-holic lindsay wasn't over? >> lindsay? >> milk-a-what? >> reporter: freeze it right there. lindsay lohan says that fictitious chubby-cheeked lindsay created for e-trade was actually modeled after the real lindsay -- lohan, that is. >> milk-a-what? >> reporter: in fact, she thinks that is so obviously her that lohan is now suing e-trade for $100 million and wants all the ads pulled for good. >> lindsay! lindsay! >> reporter: lohan's attorneys wouldn't comment, but in court papers, they argue even by itself, lindsay is a name so linked with lohan that e-trade is violating her right to privacy by using it without her consent. >> lindsay? >> if lindsay had a unique name like madonna or cher or maybe oprah, then could see maybe there's a lawsuit there, but otherwise, it just seems kind of silly. >> hoooo! >> there is no way in the world i would ever let one of my clients file a lawsuit like this. >> reporter: e-trade says it's reviewing the lawsuit and had no comment. neither did the production company who put the spot together. but we did some checking, and it turns out, at least according to one website, anyway, that there are 98,805 people with the first name lindsay living in this country right now. turns out, it's not amy or sue, but nevertheless, it's still pretty common. >> even if you could assume that was lindsay lohan that they were talking about, to call her a milk-a-holic -- >> hillk-a-what? >> how damaging is that to lindsay lohan? >> reporter: she's certainly been accused of worse, in court, actually. still, the wheels of justice don't always have a sense of humor, even if it is out of the mouths of babes. >> milk-a-what? >> reporter: for "today," lee cowan, nbc news, los angeles. >> we've asked our legal analyst dan abrams -- >> to weigh in. >> -- to stick around. help us out here. >> there's not a lot of law to discuss re. i don't really see what laws they're applying. bottom line is, even if you became convinced that it was about her, it's still parody. it's still a joke. if you're making fun of something, you're protected legally. so, in every front, this lawsuit seems like it's -- it sounds like a lawsuit that someone said, we've got to sue over this! we've got to sue! and no one actually stood back and said -- >> yeah, a scientific poll -- how many people have seen the ad before this morning? yeah. and how many people thought when they saw the ad of lindsay lohan -- >> not one. >> really? >> did you really? >> i did. >> she does have a lawsuit! >> exactly. >> ann curry is a witness! >> i assure you in the new legal papers it's going to say "even ann curry, of the "today" show." >> but you know what, she's suing 98,000 other people, too. >> exactly. >> they're going to throw it out, right? >> yeah. their be dismissed. my guess is after the public ridicule, they'll probably pull the lawsuit and someone will say, you know what, this probably is not a good idea because you're not going to win. not a particularly good lawsuit. >> how about the names meredith or ann. >> subpoena for you, by the way. 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>> fantastic. >> terrific. >> he's a terrific actor. >> absolutely. we'll talk to matt damon in a couple minutes. and it almost sounds like something from the future, the ability to control your home, literally, with your cell phone -- open locks, turn off lights, lower the blinds, change the temperatures. but is it smart to invest in smart home technology? and wh happens if you have a dropped call? >> yeah. >> i don't know. >> you're not -- >> i'm not into it. >> you're not down with that? >> no. are you? >> some of it sounds good, but a lot of it sounds complicated to me. anyway, we'll figure it out. let's go inside first to ann curry, standing by at the news desk with a check of the headlines. ann? >> i do. thanks a lot, matt. good morning once again, everybody. in the news, a pennsylvania woman is being accused of being a homegrown terrorist, and if convicted, that could get her life in prison. 46-year-old colleen rene larose, known as jihad jane online, is being accused of plotting to raise money for terrorists and also traveling to europe to commit murder. larose was convicted in october but the indictment was unsealed on monday. militants in pakistck stage deadly attack on the world vision humanitarian organization. six workers were killed and seven wounded, all pakistanis. the organization, which was helping earthquake survivors, suspended all work in pakistan indefinitely. iranian president ahmadinejad arrived for talks with hamid karzai and ahmadinejad accused the u.s. of fighting the same militants it once supported in the battle against soviet invaders. president obama is discussing earthquake recovery and rebuilding in haiti today with its president, rene preval. after the white house meeting, president obama travels to st. louis to highlight a new antifraud plan as part of his push for health care reform. overseas markets are mostly higher this morning, and on wall street, cnbc's melissa francis is at the new york stock exchange with more. hey, melissa. there is some new concern about the economy. >> reporter: that's true. the voice of doom, as we call him, economist nuri al roubini, who is among the latest to call this latest recession, is now saying the likelihood of a double-dip recession is increasing because of the crisis goingn in greece right now that could spread to europe. he's pegging that likelihood at about 20%, although he does say the most likely scenario is a slow, protracted recovery. also, bank of america doing away with overdraft fees on debit cards as of this summer. your card will just get declined. ann, back to you. >> all right. melissa francis, thanks. and how's this for a card trick? today in macao, a harvard-trained architect broke his own guinness record for building the world's largest free-standing house of cards. his replica of the venetian casino in macao used over 4,000 decks of playing cards. i would have liked to have been the one that pushed it down. it is now 8:03. let's go back outside. >> that's all i could think of, i wanted to knock it down. >> look, go, ah, ah, ah! >> quite a thing, though. >> it's one of those days in the spring, al, where you say, okay, it's kind of warm, but not really. >> well, in the shade it's a little cooler. >> yeah. >> you get out in the sunshine, much nicer. >> well, that makes sense. of course. >> of course, that's why we're in the shade. we've got some nice folks and your sister is 50. you're the sister. what's your name? >> karen forbes. >> your name? >> kathy bonafe. >> my dad's birthday and he's in florida. >> happy birthday to your dad. pick city of the day, wilmington, delaware, nbc 10, 50 degrees. on the radar we have heavy showers and thunderstorms working through the gulf coast, some snow back through the plains. more rain and snow moving into the pacific northwest, risk of strong storms from the gulf coast into the mid-mississippi river valley. east coast looks fabulous, plenty of sunshine. finally warming up for the spring breakers in florida. windy from west texas all the way to the southwest, snow showers throughout the four corners and on into the rockies. and some showers in the pacific northwest. what's your name, young man? we'll be able to leave the umbrella at home today, but some cloudy skies across the area, temperatures pretty mild, we're at 47 degrees right now, clinton, you're at 44, prince george's county and quantico, you're at 44 degrees too. a 50% chance of a few showers coming through the area tomorrow. in the and that's your latest weather. matt? >> all right, al, thank you very much. coming up, a tragic story. a teenager murdered b a man who used a fake facebook profile to meet her. it's a warning for teens and parents. it's a selfish thing to want to protect nature. i never intended to be a businessman. we made the world's best climbing equipment out of here. we realized that putting in and taking out of all these pitons was causing damage to the rock. so, i made these little soft aluminum chalks that you just put in with your fingers. and i'm a dam buster. we've been working for years to take this dam out. the reservoir behind it is only 4 feet deep-- the water gets real warm, kills a lot of the life in the river. when you take out a dam, that's a real victory. i mean, a concrete victory so to speak! when i get an idea to do something, i like to take the first step. if that feels good, i take another step. to do good, you actually have to do something. no matter what you want tdo, members project from american express can help you take the first step. vote, volunteer or donate at takepart.com. try the first great-tasting, zero-calorie... natural sweetener borne from the leaves of the stevia plant. truvía. honestly sweet. find it at your grocery store. love to see kids' spirits shine. honestly sweet. superstar and mom, martina mcbride and sunnyd shine on sunny taste. sunny spirit. sunny d. lipcolor like you've never felt before. new revlon colorburst lipstick. impossibly light feel, intensely rich color. together at last. revlon colorburst lipstick. it's love at first swipe. ♪ i've seen the sunrise paint the desert. ♪ witnessed snowfall on the first day of spring. ♪ watched fireflies dance about the evening sky. but the most beautiful thing i've ever seen was the image on a screen that helped our doctor see my wife's cancer was treatable. 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[ jazz horns blow ] because expressive is never excessive. i guess some women are destined to wear chico's. ♪ chicka boom boom boom, yeah, yeah ♪ back at 8:09 with a life sentence in the case of a teenage girl who was murdered by a man she met on facebook, a man who became her friend by pretending to be a 17-year-old boy. nbc's dawna friesen has the story. >> reporter: 17-year-old ashley hall logged in to facebook last fall and did what millions of young people do, accepted a new friend, a handsome 17-year-old named peter cartwright. she gave him her phone number, agreed to meet him, telling her mother she was going to stay with a friend. she never came home. peter cartwright was, in fact, peter chapman, 33 years old, a convicted sex offender. he raped and suffocated hall, then dumped her body in this farmer's field. while driving off, the police stopped him for a minor traffic offense and wer shocked when he made this chilling confession. >> i killed somebody last night, i need to tell somebody from cid where the body is. >> reporter: on monday he was convicted of murder. he will serve a minimum of 35 years. hall's mother has a message for parents. >> please, having your kids on facebook, please ask them to tell you who they're talking to. you just don't know who's behind that. >> reporter: it's another reminder that predators lurk online. chapman was well known to the police here in the uk. in 1996, he was jailed for seven years for raping two prostitutes at knifepoint. and after that, he was put on a sex offenders list, but somehow, the police lost track of him and he befriended not only his victim online, but about 6,000 other girls and women. the police are being heavily criticized and facebook is under intense pressure to install a nic button that children can click on if they fear they're being targeted. >> we arrest people all the time on the business of credible information that's delivered to us throughhis means. >> reporter: in a statement, facebooksays, "we hope parents and teachers will encourage education on safe online decisions and the use of facebook's settings that can protect from unwanted online contact." there is, say internet safety experts, no replacement for common sense. >> what we need to do is teach our children how to use the filter between their ears. you never know who you're meeting offline and you never know how safe you are. >> reporter: words of wisdom that may have saved one teenage life. dawna friesen, nbc news, london. >> lori getz is an internet safety expert and contributor to momlogic.com. jeff gardere i a psychologist and "today" contributor. good morning to you both. >> good morning. >> good morning. >> lori, if i can start with you, what recourse do parents have here? is there any way to protect your children who use these sites? >> well, it's really important we don't focus on restriction, but education, and parents need to talk to their children about how they're using these social networking sites, that no, we can't stop a predator from maybe reaching out to our child, but we can stop our child from reaching back out. >> you say that you should talk to your kids about fringe friends, these people that they're talking to are fringe friends. what do you mean by that? >> they're friends of friends or people they don't know. the truth is, a fringe friend is a stranger. and if you are talking to strangers online, you don't know what you're getting at the other end. >> that's why it's also important when we speak to our children, it's not just about what they do on the internet, but about fringe friends in real life, a maturational issues they need to deal with in order to learn about relationships in the proper way. >> jeff, are there certain kids that are more vulnerable? >> we're finding environmentally, the environment of the kids, kids who are online much more are much more vulnerable. kids who don't have outside terests are much more vulnerable. but psychologically,e find that kids who, perhaps, have sexual history, sexual abuse histories, sexual orientation issues, kids who have been isolated and find their own recourse of friends on the internet, those are the ones who are more at risk. >> or they feel more popular if they have more friends on their facebook page. >> right. >> that's right. >> it's actually called famo, it's internet fame, and they reaches out to all teenagers. they all want to be famous it plays into every narcissistic impulse that they have. and so, the more friends they collect, the more popular they feel. but the truth is, it just puts a larger target on their back. >> exactly. >> when you have little kids,o tell them, starting from the time they're very little, don't talk to strangers. >> right. >> you use that word, but then they go on the internet, and the strangers are now referred to as friends. so you're sending kids a mixed message. >> absolutely we're sending mixed messages, and we need to stop. from the time they're very young, from the time they first logon to the internet, that they understand that a stranger is a stranger. i don't care how cute the little peuin or the webkins looks, if they don't know that perso face to face, it's a stranger and r therefore, they don't talk to them online. >> and that's important because we're seeing a rising statistic of kids under 6 years old getting on the internet and are communicating with strangers all the time. >> what about this notion -- dawna mentioned in her piece -- of a panic button? should facebook and these kinds of sites have panic buttons? >> well, facebook does have a place where you can report abuse and you can report all kinds of abuse, from cyber bullying to the fact that you're receiving inappropriate content and you think there may be a predator that's trying to reach out to you. so, you can report abuse, and when that abuse is brought to the attention of facebook, they do something about it. >> of course, in this case, even if that or a panic button wouldn't have helped because she just assumed it was a 17-year-old boy. >> exactly. >> it's a decision that they're making themselves. >> does facebook have a direct line to, you know, the registered sex offenders list? >> no, but again, in this case, it wouldn't have mattered, because -- >> because he used a fake name. >> exactly. if you're using a pseudo identity, there's no way to match them up. however, last year they did remove several thousand registered sex offenders. so when the information is brought to their attention, they are doing something about it. >> it's interesting that both of you say information is the key and not restriction. >> exactly. it's about education and communication. if our kids are able to speak to us, to other friends, physical friends, it makes it much easier for them to spend less time on the internet. we don't want to scare our kids away, because we know if we tell them to do "a," they're going to do "b." so, it's just important that we grow the communication, that we give them more information, but the relationship that we have with our kids, if it's positive, then there will be less of a tendency for the kids to be victims to these predators. >> look, bottom line, if it's a stranger, do not friend them under any circumstances. >> absolutely. >> absolutely. >> lori getz, thank you so much, internet safety expert, and jeff gardere, always a pleasure to have you on. >> thank you. >> giving your perspective. as a dermatologist, i always hear about products that promise to make my patients look younger. but nothing works like this. 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[ cellphones ringing, vibrating ] [ computer beeps ] get started at bank of america. one of matt damon's more popular roles is that of jason bourne, a government assassin trying to figure out his real identity, but in "green zone," it's the truth he's after. damon plays army chief roy miller, who's hunting for weapons of mass destruction in iraq, but when he begins to question the very intelligence that started the war, he ends up in a hunt for answers. >> two or three west of here, there's a meeting taking place right here, possible high-value targets involved. so i want to move on it. in the first car, i want the iraqi guy, freddie. keating, you're going to drive. i'll ride shotgun. potts, you're in the back covering freddie. the rest are going to roll in the pickup truck. any questions? >> hey, chief, how do we know this guy's leading an ambush? >> we don't. get your game face on. >> hey, matt. welcome back. >> thanks, matt. >> good to see you. so, the director of this movie says "this is not a movie about the war in iraq. it's a thriller set in iraq, and that's a very different proposition." but when people go to see this, are they going to have a difficult time separating the two? >> no, i don't think so. i mean, well, the idea was, paul greengrass, who directed this movie, directed the last two "bourne" movies, and so, he also directed "united 93" and a movie called "bloody sunday," and those movies felt like, you know, you were a fly on the wall watching -- >> reality. >> -- reality. and so, the kind of proposition for us was could we fuse those two things and make a big action conspiracy thriller, but set it in the real world and make a popcorn movie. >> people are going to note the thriller aspects. i think "the new york times" called this "bourne in baghdad." there's a lot of action in this movie. >> right. >> but the movie also does not shy away from some hot political and social subjects, does it? >> no. well, i mean, it starts with -- it starts with a character who's based on a real guy who is one of the first guys in, and we actually had these things called mobile exploitation teams, m.e.t. teams. and these teams were comprised of people from artillery, some scientists and explosives guys to go in and exploit these weapons sites. and so, they went in there with these intel packets and basically were told there was, you know, weapons in these places, and they went careening in there and were confronted with a totally different reality. so, it's kind of -- they were the first people to go on the journey that we all went on, basically, which is we went in with one set of expectations and then were confronted with a different reality, and then the logical question from there is, okay, well, what happened? and that's what kind of kicks off -- >> and you want the viewer to ask those questions. you want people to ask questions about interrogation versus torture and weapons of mass destruction. even the rohri ireporting of th there's a character in this movie, played by amy ryan, based on -- it's a "wall street journal" reporter in the move yeep -- >> in the movie, yeah. >> but it can't be loosely, very far based on a reporter from "the new york times." >> right. >> and she was criticized for her reporting. so, you want people to say, okay, i dig the action here, but it makes me ask some questions about what we've just lived through. >> exactly, that's right. that's exactly right. >> you were surrounded by some guys in the field here, and some of them are not actors. some of them -- >> most of them are not actors. >> most of them actually served in iraq and afghanistan. >> right. >> how does that change the dynamic on the set? >> well, it changed everything. that's something that paul's done in some of his other films. he'll use nonactors. and in this case, he was convinced, and i think rightly so, that the best way to make this movie would be with vets, guys who had just come back from iraq or afghanistan. so, there's one other actor, nicoy banks and me, and everybody else in a military uniform in this movie is just back from a tour in either iraq or afghanistan. >> does it take extra time to shoot that way because you have to make sure they hit their marks and they're in the right place at the right time or do you notare about that, you just want to capture what happens? >> no, i think it saves a lot of time. because if you took 30 actors and tried to explain how to hit a house or how to -- it would take so long to teach us. where if you take a couple of us and we get absorbed into a group of real guys, they can quickly show us exactly what we need to do. >> and it raises the believability factor immensely. >> yeah, and that's a big thing, the authenticity and feeling like you're really seeing the real war. >> i'm not going to let you escape without a few questions. "bourne" movies, will there be a fourth? >> well, um, my doing it was always contingent on paul directing it, and he's not -- he -- so, we're not going to do it now. i think maybe in five or ten years we could do it, but i think the studio will probably do some kind of a prequel or something, and you know, and keep that franchise alive, because it's an important franchise for them. and finally, a lot was written over the last couple weeks about you taking on the role of rfk in the near future. if you take on a role like that, you have to be comfortable convincing people that you are the character. what makes you think you can nail him? >> well, i don't know that i can. that's part of the challenge. but i'm pretty confident that i could do it. you know, it would be a lot of research and a lot of time put in, and look, where i come from, i mean, he's a pretty big person, you know, pretty important person, and it's a lot of responsibility. even my father said, when i told him i was thinking of doing it about six months ago, he said, everything stopped and he said that's a lot of responsibility. you know, so, i get it. >> when do you get to do that? >> well, the script's coming in in a few weeks. it's gary ross, a great director and friend of mine. so, we're thinking of it as we're going forward with it, so, we'll see. hopefully, a great script comes in. >> meanwhile, good luck with "green zone." "green zone" from our sister company universal opens on friday. and we're back in a moment. 8:26 is your time now, cloudy skies over the nation's capital. good morning, everyone. in the news for today, a baby in the district has died after she was found with something tangled around her neck. police say a housekeeper found the 10-month-old yesterday at a home on 17th street northwest. she flagged down a police officer assigned to securit detail who was in the area at the time. the officer performed cpr until paramedics arrived but cou welcome back. we have got some overcast skies, but it's dry, we'll have a partly sunny afternoon, 47 degrees the temperature right now in the district and also into fairfax. mid 40s elsewhere across the area. with a light southerly wind, up to 63 degrees. >> 395 northbound several long stretches of back up traffic especially on the 14th street bridges. >> jerry, thank you, we'll have more news and weather for you in just 25 min ♪ good mornin i'm feeling fine, the sun is shining through the window, better straighten up and get in line ♪ 8:30 now on this wednesday morning, march 10th, 2010. this is one of the creative entries we have received f our "wizarding world of harry potter at universal orlando resort contest." this is from an elementary school in minnesota and i hope that video will land them a trip to florida later this spring. maybe it will. >> we just want to tell you, there is still time to enter your child's classroom in ts whole thing. all you have to do is tell us why the kids in that classroom are extraordinary and they could win a trip to the grand opening of that attraction coming up in the spring. head to todayshow.com to find out all the details. another big attraction for our show is this guy, willard scott, uncle willie is on the plaza. >> uncle willie! >> and besides smucker's, there's another reason why willard is joining us. it's his 30th anniversary here on the "today" show, today. we are going to walk down memory lane with willard in just a little bit. >> good thing he talked about smucker's, because he's a smacker. >> i wonder how many kisses he's given out in 30 years. >> there you are! >> uncle willie. we'll talk to him in a little bit. >> cool. >> that's fun. also coming up, by the way, do you guys know we have gotten really cool in terms of being online? because now people can join "today" on twitter, on their cell phones and also facebook and by podcast. if you want information about all of you guys and what's happening, you can go to our website to find out about that. >> okay. >> i'm always getting asked, is matt on twitter? >> does he tweet? >> really? >> yeah. >> what do you say? >> no. >> i do not tweet. i do not tweet. >> we will show you how to tweet. >> okay. >> there's some people tweeting right now. >> yeah. you'll never be on twitter. it's not who you are. >> you're probably right. >> i'm never going to be a tweeter. you're a tweeter. >> no? it's not who you are? what are you saying? >> ann's got like a million followers on twitter. >> i'm not like a technology person. >> oh. >> i don't do anything like that. >> it's fun. you might like it. okay, we digress. let's go. >> how about the weather? all right, let's twitter about the weather and we'll tell you, for today we're looking at a risk of strong storms from the mid-mississippi river valley into the gulf coast, more windy and wet weather in the pacific northwest. high surf advisories along the coast. sunshine up an down the eastern seaboard. tomorrow that heavy rain moves into the southeast mid-atlantic states on up into the leave the umbrella at home today, but leave the sunglasses too. mostly cloudy skies, maybe partly sunny by the afternoon. could see a sprinkle up until about noontime today. showers moving through, friday. friday breezy and wet, windy and very wet for saturday, but w and that's your latest weather. now, everybody, let's say hello to willie scott! hey. happy anniversary. >> oh! >> willie loves the ladies and the ladies love willie. >> that make a great song. i laughed. i thought about you yesterday. i came out of, you know, what's it -- the delicatessen, carnegie! >> carnegie deli. >> and there was a guy out there with a can, he was looking for -- and i gave him half a sandwich. he said, man, i get sandwiches all the time! i want some money! welcome to new york. >> there you go. >> got the birthdays? >> oh, yeah. sylvia levine of bellaire bluffs, florida, attributes her longevity to being an al roker fan. loves him, watches all his shows. she never sleeps. devoted to her family. how about that? i think i'm missing one. >> no, you're good. right here, thelma shives, greenville, ohio, 103 years old! former hairdresser until she was 98. takes pride in having real teeth! >> there you go. >> loves playing the wii video game. >> and she did al's hair. >> that's right. >> didn't she do a nice job? david bentman of west covina, california, 100 years old. retired aerospace engineer. >> wow. >> and he is some kind of classy guy. >> there you go. lillian titlebaum from boston, massachusetts. 103. her mom lived to 102. sharp as a tack. edited newspapers until she was 100. >> fantastic. then we've got roma wicykowski from baytown, texas. she's 100 years old. has volunteed over 9,000 hours. >> wow! >> you get the last one. >> ralph and dottie richards, slidell, louisiana, 80th anniversary. both in the 90s. fell in love on a carousel ride at a local carnival. their love went round and round. attribute their marital longevity to love. that's awfully sweet. that's nice. >> i've got more. you want some? >> we'll take as many as you have, but stick around, because we're going to do a little celebrating with you and a walk down memory lane in just a couple of minutes. >> thank you. i'd love that. >> we'll have that, 30 years on the "today" show, we're talking about it. "today's consumer" is brought to you by bank of america, bank of opportunity. this morning on "today's consumer," smart homes. is it time to get tech-savvy when it comes to your house? consumer correspondent and "reader's digest" contributor janice lieberman is here to tell us yes or no. janice, good morning. >> good morning. do you know that smart homes are already a $10 billion industry? it's technology that allows you to basically conol cameras, heaters, even window blinds from the touch of your phone. but do you really need it? well, we decided to find out. >> if he only knew how i hate washing, ironing, vacuuming. >> reporter: in the 1960s, the tv show "the jetsons" made life seem so futuristic. and almost 50 years later, this home of the future has quietly become a reality. it's just little more subtle. >> now, the moment reese enters his code, the lock will send mom a text, a little beep, beep on her end and a smile. >> reporter: so, what really is a so-called smart home? syndicated tech writer mike saltsman decodes this for us. >> a smart home helps you better monitor your control your home even when you're not there. this includes the alarm system, locking or unlocking the door, lighting, thermostat, appliances. it's really endless, but it's the ability of giving you the control at your fingertips. >> reporter: wow, sounds great! with the touch of your cell phone, your thermostat westbound turned down and you can keep an eye on your home when you're aw away. >> there are some nice conveniences with smart homes, but it's not for everyone. it definitely has to suit your needs and budget. >> reporter: so, are smart homes only for tech geeks? jonah and shawn durso may both have iphones, but they don't consider themselves technically savvy. >> i can make phone calls on my iphone and i can shop on the internet and that's probably the extent of it. >> i'm not half bad at some things, but there's a lot of things i struggle with. >> what do you struggle with? >> the security system. i have no idea how to turn it on. haven't turned it on in nine years. so, hopefully, this new system i'll be able to figure out. >> reporter: two companies that sell smart home devices offered the family a trial smart home makeover. they received a $299 system which allows them to control their doors, lights and thermostat from their cell phone and platinum alarm systems added two cameras and some sensors, which runs a couple hundred dollars more. the total amount for the install, $1,000. and the companies each charge a monthly monitoring fee. >> it's going to cost you $70 a month to maintain. >> that's a fairly sizable money. we'll have to see if it's worth it in the end. >> reporter: after setup, we gave the family three months to get used to the system and then checked back. coincidentally, a fugitive accused of breaking and entering and assault was on the loose in the neighborhood the week after we left. >> my husband had called me. we were out at the mall and he asked me if the house was secure, and i was able to go on my phone and make sure the house was alarmed and do it remotely. >> reporter: but overall, are you using it as much as you thought you would or -- >> no, we're not. we're not using it as much as we expected. >> reporter: the feature she liked the most? >> i do get a text message on my phone when the children come home from school and it's really nice to flip on my phone and click on the camera and see them walking in the door. >> reporter: and as for her husband -- >> he probably is a little bit less, but he does like to control the lights with his phone while sitting on the couch. >> reporter: but in the end, the couple says based on the cost for now, they'll revert back to their not-so-smart home. well, tech experts say the price of outfitting your home with smart features is bound to come down as it becomes more popular. for those building a new home or completely renovating an older home, smart home technology may be a part of their package, meredith. >> the husband should just get the clapper, right? it's much cheaper to turn the lights on. >> for a couch potato, yeah. >> is this a fad like the intercom systems in the '80s? everybody wanted the intercom system in their home. >> and now they don't work and people are ripping them out. really it got more perfected and the technology's there, so it's cleaner and technology people say it's here to stay. i wouldn't use it. >> what's the next thing we're going to be seeing, do you know? >> i think they're going to be using it more for energy-efficient appliances, to turn off tvs when you're not there, turn off lights, thermostats, and for that, it really does make sense. >> janice lieberman, thank you so much. and up next, we'll hash it boss: so word's gettin' out that geico customers could save even more on their car insurance by signing up for other things - like homeowner's or renter's insurance. nice work, everyone. exec: well, it's easy for him. he's a cute little lizard. gecko: ah, gecko, actually - exec: with all due respect, if i was tiny and green and had a british accent i'd have more folks paying attention to me too... i mean - (faux english accent) "save money! pip p cheerio!" exec 2: british? i thought you were australian. gecko: well, it's funny you should ask. 'cause actually, i'm from - anncr: geico. save even more with our new multi-policy discount. we're back at 8:44. and this morning on "how to cook everything today," we're reinventing hash. our good friend mark bittman is here with new ways to enjoy shredded vegetables. mark is a "new york times" columnist and author of "how to cook everything." mark, good morning to you. nice to see you. >> good morning, matt. great to be here. >> first of all, this is a massive potato pancake, and this is your grandmother's recipe. >> that's how she did it. she took the whole potato pancake batter and cooked it all at once, and it's great. you can make it in advance. it has terrific crunch and beautiful like creamy interior. >> this is pure comfort food. the effort-to-love ratio in a dish like that is very high -- very low! little effort, a lot of love. >> well, iner day, there was more effort because she grated everything by hand. so you got a little blood in there, some knuckle. >> you didn't -- >> but we don't have to do that! you're leaving? >> oh, god, okay. you come up with the rest of these recipes because you found a place for your food processor on your counter and you decided that, okay, i'm going to grind up some vegetables. what are we making next? >> well, this is -- this becomes this, which is a root vegetable hash, essentially. and no grating, all in the food processor. >> do all root vegetables work for this or some work better than others? >> you know what? anything will work. beets, parsnips, sweet potato, carrots, rutabaga. >> and is this purely good for you or do you have to put something in there to bind this together that maybe isn't so good? >> no. oil or butter and cook it until it's brown and then you get this fantastic mix of sweet flavors. >> and how is cooking time for root vegetables compared to cooking time for a potato pancake? >> here you're trying to keep the heat a little low because you want the pancake to come together. here you want the heat higher, it cooks more quickly, you're tossing it. >> okay. what are we making here? >> this is really in a way the most interesting thing. this is raw zucchini and you add a little bit of flour, some egg white, some chopped onion. and there are a lot of different ways you can do this, but -- >> let me stop you for a second, because when you grate the zucchini, a lotf times it has a little liquid to it. >> best thing is to put it in a colander and squeeze some of that liquid out. >> so you want it drier. you want the consistency drier when you're working with it. >> but once you've mixed it with just these few things. you've got the egg and the flour to bind and the onion for flavor, obviously, you can do breadcrumbs in here, you can do egg and parmesan -- >> parmesan cheese. >> yep. you can cook it in butter, you can cook it in olive oil. then you make little pancakes and you wind up withhese beautiful -- and i love the greenness of these. >> cook these for how long? >> five minutes perseid. >> okay. you just want them brown, that's it. are these recently cooked over here? can i take a bite of one? >> those are good to go, yeah. and i will wager even you wl like that. >> what do you mean? i like all the things you cook. that's very good, actually, really good. all right, so, let's pretend those are cooking away. >> well, they are cooking, yeah. >> we'll keep an eye on them. >> they're fine. >> now you're going to make a stir-fry. and again, this is all food processor friendly? >> this is, again -- i mean, our big thing here is shredded vegetables, and i'm just trying to show that with the food processor and just about any vegetable that you can think of that's gratable, you can go in all these different directions. >> all right. we're going to start with beef? >> this is really a stir-fry. so, you want to brown the beef. >> you like to put the meat in the freezer for a while first and then take it out? >> well, because then you can get these beautiful thin slices without a lot of effort. i mean, if you really froze the beef first, you could slice it in the food processor, for that matter. but anyway, brown the beef. let's just get a couple more pieces in here. >> you want to just wait until it loses color on both sides, flip to over once? >> yes, but since we're in a little bit of a hurry -- >> right, okay. >> just to give you an idea, when the beef is brown, these are sweet potatoes, but you could do carrots, you could do rutabaga. you could do anything you want here. then some scallions, and it starts to look like something really great. >> you use the whole scallion, not just the top part? >> white and green, okay? >> peppers. >> a little jalapeno here and some garlic. and then that thing stirs up. >> serves here, little rice next to it. we have stir-fried, we have ground vegetables. we have done some egg plant, zucchini. pretty good. >> different forms, different starts, different finishes. it's a nice situation. >> thanks for the knuckle story on your grandmother. i appreciate that. >> i knew you'd appreciate it. up next, we'll celebrate 30 years of willard scott here on "today." ♪ happy anniversary, baby we're all back now at 8:51, all happy to be together to celebrate the anniversary of willard. mr. scot joined the "today" family 30 years ago today. he began his career here at nbc, get this, 60 years ago this month. >> oh, my gosh. >> oh, lord. >> we asked some of your old friends to share some thoughts and look back at your memorable moments, starting with our introduction to our audience on march 10th, 1980. >> good morning, all. i'm tom brokaw here with jane pauley and the newest member, old uncle willard, the newest member of the "today" family. we'll be hearing from him later. you'll be doing the weather. >> i've got so much weather here. i could do the whole show. >> when i first met willard scott, he was doing the weather on the local station in washington, but he did a profitable sideline. he was selling eggs from his farm. >> get a nice shot of this. >> look it here. >> these are available at blooby's. basically, weather can be very bland on a day-to-day basis, so what you do is add a little to it. three, two, let the race begin! ah! ba-reba! ♪ you don't really wanna hurt me, you don't really wanna make me cry ♪ ♪ because your ks, your kiss is on my list ♪ >> thanks! how about that? i've been kissed by the best! >> she definitely got the worst of the deal. ♪ ♪ chimpanzee ♪ if we could talk to animals, learn their languages, maybe take an animal ♪ ♪ food, glorious food >> would you please try to control yourself? this guy hasn't had a meal in two days. eat your heart out! >> hi, willard. i congratulate you on your wonderful 30 years here on "today." when you get to 100, call me. we'll celebrate over a jar of smucker's. ♪ i'm a travelin' man, made a lot of stops all over the world ♪ ♪ santo domingo ♪ give me a kid with hair, lock long, beautiful hair ♪ >> what do you think? i think the guy, looks to me -- let's give him a little more. now. >> willard, people always ask me if you're the same as you are on tv, and i say, no, he only looks like he's having too much fun to keep the money. >> there's funny things under there. >> look at that camera. look at that camera. now turn right. now watch this -- >> oh, much better! ♪ everybody loves my willie ♪ go be chilly and love your willie ♪ ♪ i see friends shaking hands, saying how do you do, they're really saying i love you ♪ >> mahala. ♪ what a wonderful world >> congratulations, willard. >> congratulations. >> 30 years. >> 30 years young. >> thank you. >> it's a cliche question -- has it gone by quickly some. >> unbelievable! i mean, years, incredible. september 16th, 1950, when i started in washington. >> he was in the control room when the "today" show started. >> that's right. i was the announcer. and they paid me $6 a day. i made $6 for saturday and $6 for sunday. and a week ago, ge cut half the salary -- [ laughter ] >> actually just take the cake away. >> exactly. just a prop. >> we've got a cake here for you. happy 30th, happy 60th and happy birthday as well, which you celebrat -- >> sunday. >> 77 -- 76! >> 76, wow. years young. >> can you believe it? i can't believe it. >> wn you think of all you've done, all you've accomplished -- >> greatest thing we did was meet the pope in rome. that was incredible. we've done some fun, beautiful things, but that was beautiful, yeah. >> all right, well -- >> here's to 30 more. >> cheers to you. >> willard. >> cheers, we love you. >> and c 8:55 is your time now on this wednesday march 10, 2010. the police officer who threw -- he got out and pulled out a gun, the d.c. police union says he it's happening everywhere. health insurance companies jacking up premiums. by 10% 20% even 60 percent in just the last few weeks, crushing small businesses and working families. now, desperate to block health care reform, insurance ceo's and their lobbyists are meeting this week in washington. if they win, we lose. congress, listen to us. not the insurance companies. pass health care reform now. welcome back, it's almost account -- 9:00 here. we'll have a little bit of filtered sunshine later today. likely to see highs in the low 60s, there's a chance on saturday with some localized urban flooding and tidal flooding too. >> right outside the outer loop, delays began just short of georgia avenue. also slow over the inner loop of the belt way. again, it's just a lot of volume out there. >> jerry, thank you, we'll have more news, weather and traffic for you in just we are now back with more of "today" on a wednesday morning, 10th day of march 2010. and you know what, al's right, it's warming up beautifully here in the northeast, getting into the 50s one more day before some rainy weather heads our way, but one last chance to say hi to the people who stopped by to join us this morning. we thank them for that. out on the plaza, i'm matt lauer along with al roker and natalie morales. and coming up, more on the story of that david letterman scandal. the man who tried to blackmail him has now accepted a plea deal. he'll go to jail and face probation and community service. we're going to hear what the comedian had to say about the outcome of this case in just a little while. and then it's time for our "money 911" series. it's touching today on everything from rebuilding credit after divorce to finding freelance work to understanding what a 403(b) is all about. our experts are back answering all your financial questions. all right, plus, slimming down your figure without trimming on your diet. we'll tell you how to look leaner by changing just a few items of your clothing. >> a lot to get to. we also have to get to the headlines. ann is inside with those for us. ann, good morning. >> all right, thanks a lot, matt. good morning once again, everybody. > in the news this morning, the u.s.-based christian aid group world vision was attacked this morning in northwestern pakistan. suspected militants attacked with grenades and bullets and they killed at least six employees of world vision. the aid group has been in pakistan helping victims of the 2005 earthquake there, but world vision has now suspended operations in pakistan. federal prosecutors revealed on tuesday that a pennsylvania woman is being held on terrorism charges. 46-year-old colleen larose was accused of using the internet to recruit jihad fighters and with traveling to europe intending to commit a murder. today, president obama heads to missouri in another push for health care reform. he made a similar push on monday in pennsylvania. police in los angeles are investigating the death of actor corey haim, better happens best known for the film "the lost boys" in the 1980s. police call it an apparent overdose. corey haim was 38 years old. a former tv producer is facing six months in jail after pleading guilty to trying to extort $2 million from david letterman. nbc's jeff rossen has more on this story. jeff, good morning. >> reporter: hi, ann, good morning to you. yeah, this case looked like it was going to trial, but then out of the blue yesterday, this giant turn-around. that's former cbs producer joe halderman now says he did it, he's guilty, it was extortion. he apologized yesterday to david letterman himself, but still, he's going to jail. >> it's "the late show with david letterman"! >> reporter: on "the late show" tuesday night -- >> six months ago, i found myself in some legal trouble. >> reporter: -- a serious sigh of relief. >> watch yourself. >> reporter: in a surprise move tuesday, david letterman's extortionist came clean. former cbs news producer joe halderman. he pled guilty in open court to a felony, attempted grand larceny by extortion, raising his right hand and telling the judge, "i understand that my attempt to extort $2 million from mr. letterman violated his and his family's privacy." >> i had never been involved in anything like in this in my life and i was concerned and full of anxiety and nervous and worried. >> reporter: as part of the plea deal, halderman will serve six months in jail, followed by 4 1/2 years of probation and 1,000 hours of community service, including tutoring former prisoners and the homeless. >> joe halderman had to plead guilty. he had no choice. had he gone to trial, he surely would have been convicted and his sentence would have been much harsher than this plea deal. for david letterman, a trial would have been a nightmare. this plea deal spares him the humiliation of a trial. >> reporter: as letterman praised new york police and prosecutors tuesday night -- >> thank you all for your help. we'll be right back, ladies and gentlemen. >> thanks for your help. >> you're welcome. >> reporter: -- joe halderman begins his new life as a convicted felon. >> i will not be doing any interviews and i thank you all for your patience. >> reporter: in fact, as part of the plea deal, joe halderman can't do any interviews. he can't write a book, he can't do a movie. it's all part of the deal. he can't make any profit off this case or off david letterman whatsoever, ann. >> all right. jeff rossen, thanks a lot this morning. it is now four minutes past the hour. those are the headlines at this hour. let's get a check of the weather from al. thanks a lot, ann. as we take a look, show you what's happening. we've got some big storms moving through the utheast. they're going to bring some flooding rains, probably anywhere from three to five inches of rain over the next 24 to 48 hours. and then we've also got back to the west of that, we've got a pretty big risk of strong storms stretching from houston, new orleans, on into parts of alabama, as far north as central missouri and western illinois. that could bring anywhere from one to three inches of rain, but we're also talking about the threat of tornadoes, a lot of hail and strong winds. so, it could be a and right here, it will be another mild day, we have got some overcast skies, though, dry conditions through the day, we'll see a high again in the low 60s across the area. and yes, even us too, we could see some minor nothing across the area. we could see some urban flooding and maybe even some tidal flooding. we'l ♪ somebody call 911 and now, "today's money 911" where we tackle your financial emergeies from managing debt to saving for a growing family. here with advice, jean chatzky, "today's" financial editor, and we've got mr. -- and she's also the author of "money 911." i'm sorry. david bach -- i was so -- i wanted to get to david, who's in casual clothes today and looks so sharp. david bach -- >> thank you, al! >> -- is the creator of finishrich.com, author of "start over, finish rich." andcnbc's personal finance expert carmen wong ulrich. >> good morning. >> natalie's across the way with questions from the crowd. good morning, everybody. >> good morning. >> good morning. >> let's get started. first up, we've got a caller on the line. ann has called from newton, massachusetts. anne, good morning. thanks for calling in. what's your question? >> caller: i have an opportunity to contribute to my 403(b) but have not done so in the two years i have worked there because my employer doesn't match. at the end of the fiscal year, they divide the allotted revenue equally among those who participate, which is usually about $1,000. is it worth it for me to contribute to my 403(b) or should i invest elsewhere, like in an i.r.a.? >> jean, first of all, what is a 403(b)? >> 403(b), 457, these are other names for plans that work just like 401(k)s. they're just for employees of government organizations or not-for-profits. so don't get confused by the lingo. but yeah, absolutely you want to contribute, because even though they're not matching traditionally, they're giving you $1,000 in free money at the end of the year, and if you're going to put your money in an i.r.a. or any other sort of retirement plan that's not affiliated with your employer, you're not going to get that free $1,000. that is real money, so, absolutely get in there, pick some wise investment choices for you and take whatever they are willing to give you for free at the end of the year. >> anne, thank you so much. now let's go to skype. we've got a couple on skype. this is nicole and aaronrom frederick, maryland. and first of all, thanks for calling, for skyping in, and congratulations. we understand you're expecting your first child. >> we are. >> thank you. >> that's great. what's your question? >> i have about $85,000 in student loans. i'm a commercial pilot and only make $36,000 and i've tried to consolidate my private student loans and have been told that they cannot be consolidated. and currently, we're paying $1,000 a month and have been forced to move back in wh her parents canned not move out. do you have any suggestions or help for us? >> david, a lot of couples are going through this right now. >> well, first of all, let me just say, make sure you give your parents a big hug and kiss for taking you back home. i mean, seriously. and also, i give you a lot of credit for the fact that you have moved home so that you can focus on paying down your debt. so, here's what you need to do. you're right, it's virtually impossible to consolidate right now these private student loans. you need to prioritize which you're going to pay the minimum on and then pay extra on. what i want you to do is take the student loans, take a look at what the interest rates are, make minimum payments on all the student loans and then add extra money to the smallesttudent loan that you have right now. but here's what you really need to focus on. i saw earlier that you had about $1,000 a month in payments. you need to bring in extra money. so, i know you're working right now as a commercial pilot. the good news is, your income is going to go up. in the next ten years, your income will actually double. you can see the smile on your face right now. you've got a great question. but my question to nicole is, are you working right now? >> i am not. >> okay, you need to go get a job. so, here's the truth -- did you see her mouth? you need to bring in an extra $250 a week. that extra $250 a week, which may not sound like a lot of money, that money would be enough to pay down these student loans. so, you've got to become a part of the process. i have to tell you something, even if you're going to be a mom at home, you can work part time. you can be what's called a virtual assistant. a lot of people today are working from home, answering e-mails, taking phone calls from people like us. i actually use a virtual assistant. go to assistyou.com. they're making about $25 to $50 an hour. >> wow. >> so, there are ways you can work from home that can make a difference in paying the debt down. >> when's the baby due, nicole? >> june. >> so, you've got some time, so that's great. congratulations. who knows, maybe you could even become a virtual director. we could use one. thank you. good luck, guys. now we're going to head across the street to dean & deluca. natalie has a viewer question. >> i've got heather here from rockwood, pennsylvania and a entourage with her. you're a real estate agent and you get asked a question a lot. >> will the first-time home buyer tax credit that's supposed to expire this spring, will it be extended? >> okay. carmen, do you have an answer for heather? >> great question. i do. we don't know is actually the answer. it was really hard to actually get the extension passed 2009 into april, but here's something very interesting. april 30th is the deadline, but it's the deadline for contract. you have to just be in contract by april 30th. you don't have to close until june 30th. so, hopefully, heather, that helps you and gives you a little extra time in there. >> that's great, thank you. >> thank you very much, heather. we've got a question in from e-mail from mrs. b. in alabama. she writes "i'm going through divorce after 30 years of marriage. do i need to open a new credit card or two in my name before making any changes to our current accounts and before the divorce? at what point do i close our joint account and remove my name as an authorized user from his three individual accounts?" jean, what's the answer here? >> first of all, let me just say, i've been there, so i've done this, and the key is to line up your new credit cards before you close the old ones, because if you take your name off of any of those joint accounts, that's going to knock your credit score. it's going to take your credit score down because it's going to reduce the amount of credit that you actually have available to you. so, you want to go out there, get your new credit cards first and then go through the process of getting yourself off the old ones. it will not be difficult if you've got a decent credit score, which you can find out by going to creditkarma.com. that's a website where you can check your credit score once a month for free. it won't cost you anything. you should also pull your credit report from annualcreditreport.com. again, totally free. >> and even if you're happily married, this is -- even if you're happily married -- i have also been divorced, too, but even if you're happily married -- >> how about you, dave? >> yes, i have, too! >> me, too, all right! everybody! >> it's a requirement, actually, to get financial advice. but you really should always have a credit card in your name. not because you're planning, it's not a prenup thin just always keep a credit card and bank account in your name, just in case. >> okay. now let's head across the street to natalie, who has not been divorced. let's go to natalie with question from the crowd. >> okay, i have nick here from st. louis along with his buddies. >> what is the best investment for a college student? >> best investment for a college student? david, do you want to answer that some. >> i will. i'll tell you the best investment is in financial education for yourself. the number one thing we hear from people who are older is i wish i had known how to do this when i was younger. three books you can get from the library for free -- i'm going to start with jean. i would read "pay it down," because it's a book about how to pay your debt down. a lot of kids in college are getting student loans. the second one is "the automatic millionaire," teaches you how to pay yourself first. and then "rich dad, poor dad," which teaches you how to think like a busines owner. i'd then go back to your school and see if they offer a financial planning class, not a macro class on economics, but actually a class on investing. because if you take a course on investing in college, you'll learn more about money than probably 90% of americansho are walking around, and it's the education on what to do at a young age that can truly change your life. >> but what you tell him, if you actually have some money to invest and you have some income, open a roth i.r.a., put some money away for your retirement so that it can just continue to grow and grow and grow and grow. and when you're 60, you will be the automatic millionaire that david says you will be. >> that's right. and carmen, we've got to get you a book, too. >> mine comes outn january. >> what's the name? >> second book is "the real cost of living." first, "generation debt." >> all right, there you go. you could have a library with the folks here. jean, david, carmen. stand by. we have more financial advice, including how to get a loan for a big purchase if you filed for bankruptcy. then later, the secrets to looking thin. they actually could be in your closet. we're going to show you why. i work for a different insurance company. my auto policy's just getting a little too expensive. with progressive, you get the "name your price" option, so we build a policy to fit your budget. wow! the price gun. 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[ giggle ] [ female announcer ] gerber. from birth to preschool, we'll be with you every step of the way. it has a motion sensor, which means it goes off... only when it senses movement. to give a burst of fresh glade fragrance... only when you need it. but it's not wasteful, because it won't go off again for another 30 minutes. unless of course you press the boost button. very smart. motion-activated sens& spray. voted product of the year... in the household products category. talk about smart. s.c. johnson. a family company. we're back with more of "today's money 911." answering your questions are jean chatzky, david bach and carmen wong ulrich. natalie has questions from our crowd. we're going to skype. megan and brent are from sacramento, california. good morning, guys. >> good mornin >> good morning, al. >> hey, guys. what's your question? >> well, my husband and i have been trying to pay off our credit cards, which we've been pretty successful, and we'll have about $1,000 a month to redirect and we'd love to purchase a home and we need to replace a car that was recently totaled in a storm. and with our credit card debt paid off, that's definitely a bigger reality, but we also have outstanding student loan debt, and we just want to know what your advice to us would be on how to pay off our student loan bt but also to buy a new car and save for a home as a young couple. >> they've got a lot of goals, carmen. >> yeah. you've got a lot of things that your money needs to do, but here's the thing, prioritywise, that credit card debt has got to go, because those rates are too high, that costs you too much money and i want you guys to do a little abracadabra, put at least another $20 a month toward that de. you've been putting in a good chunk now, but you still have five figures of credit card debt, so get out of that first. then your student loans. we're talking about fixed rates of 2.5%. this is some cheap money. >> right. >> i am jealous, because my student loans aren't that good. >> don't get bitter. >> also, 4.75% -- i've got to talk to your banker -- 4.75%. and here's the thing, you have great subsidized federal loans. don't be in a rush to pay those off. your car got totaled. >> right. >> you have five figures of credit card debt. take care of the credit card debt. get a cheap, good car, new home. i bought a home with five figures of student loan debt, you can do that as well. >> so the student loan debt goes down the list. >> absolutely, but pay on time every time and you'll be in great shape. >> okay. we've got another caller with a question, diane from provo, utah. good morni, diane. what's your question? >> caller: hello. so, my husband and i have been in bankruptcy for two years. we have a lease on our main vehicle that we've had for five years with a perfect payment history, but it's coming due in july. we've already applied for a new loan with our credit union, but they turned us down. we have $2,000 we can use as a down payment. do you have any advice for how or where we can get a loan? >> jean? >> absolutely. diane, have you looked at what kind of shape that 5-year-old car is in? is it in decent shape? >> it's actually in really good shape. >> then i would stop right there. i would go right back to the leasing company and ask them for an extension. i did this the last time i leased a car. they're very willing these days to extend your lease for another year, maybe even a little bit longer than that. you know who's been driving this car. you can also look at potentially buying it from them. you're right, you're going to have trouble getting a car loan at this point. but because they have a history of dealing with you, you may find that it's actually easier just to deal with the people who know that you're going to pay these bills already. >> caller: okay. >> i hope that helps, diane. good luck. >> caller: yeah, thanks! >> okay, great. now we have a question over e-mail from john in new mexico, writing "i've been using more than 50% of my available credit limit on my credit card and have been paying it off monthly. is this hurting my credit score?" david? >> this is such a great question. i get this a lot. here's the interesting thing, the simple -- i could tell you -- well, kind of like this. your utilization -- >> actually, not so simple, now that i think about it. >> your utilization rate is reduced because you're using half your credit card, but it depends on the day you check your credit score. if it's checked on a day after you've paid off that debt, it looks great, but if it's looked at while you've got 50% of your usage, then it looks different. the truth is this, the difference on your credit score is a result of this is very, very small because you have a record of paying off your credit card every month. so, i wouldn't worry about it. how's that? >> all right, there you go. you could be a weatherman. >> the answer is longevity. >> that's right. jean chatzky, david bach and carmen wong ulrich, thanks very much. >> thanks, al. >> if you have more questions for our experts, go to todayshow.com. we'll try to get them in for you. she's an academy award winning actress and mother of two. the lovely catherine zeta-jones stops by to talk about her latest project. transitions lenses adapt to changing light to help you stay comfortable and in the zone in all light conditions both on and off the course. kenny perry and trevor immelman have made transitions part of their game. transitions is proud to be the official eyewear of the pga tour and title sponsor of the transitions championship. can your moisturizer do that? 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[ female announcer ] eyestudio. the liner revolution is here. see it at maybelline.com. can you believe how fast kids grow these days? and since 90% of bone strength is developed before adulthood... it's so important that they get enough calcium every day. that's why there's new danonino. danonino! unlike leading kids yogurts, danonino has twice the calcium of milk, ounce per ounce, with vitamin d so it's power packed for healthy growth. and its rich creamy taste is... yummy! so they can start building strong bones today... for stronger bodies tomorrow. new danonino from dannon. power packed to help kids grow. coming up, the secret of shaving off the pounds. well, if you pick the right outfit it might help you. >> and there's no shaving pounds in "today's kitchen," talking delicious desserts for every night of the workweek with five basic ingredients. >> okay, first night is a pound cake. the second -- >> now we're talking. me. 80 calories? 80 calories! light & fit is so creamy and irresistibly delicious, it's hard to believe it has 80 calories versus 100 in the other leading brand. do you always eat like that? i love light & fit. light & fit. irresistible taste. fewer calories. now save money with our new super saver four packs. four cups at a great low price. how about a bedtime snack? yay! come here. favorite. perfect. put your milk in. okay. ♪ whoa. okay, that's good. [ female announcer ] at the end of the day, a bowl of rice krispies... what do you hear? i hear..."p." i think it's saying, "night night." [ female announcer ] ...sounds pretty good. all done. good job. mustache. ♪ [ female announcer ] childhood is calling. long gone. taking a live look outside, the sunshine we enjoyed yesterday is long gone. rain, shortly on the way. the time is now 9:26 on this wednesday, march 10. good morning, everyone. an infant in the district has died after she was found with something tangled around her neck. police say a housekeeper found the 10-month-old yesterday at a home on 15th street northwest. he flagged down a police officer on security detail who happened to be in the area at the time. the officer performed cpr until paramedics arrived but could not revive the child. six school district also receive snow day waivers after last month's storms. those waivers mean the studentses will not have to make up all the days th lost because of snow. usually the school day would be extended to reach some filtered sunshine today, your high 63 degrees. 60 tomorrow, that's when the wet weather gets here and pretty soggy too for the end of the week and the first part of the weekend. >> we'll head on out and check the northern loop of the beltway, up towards 66 with the lanes up. and in montgomery county, the outer loop looks a little bit better toward silver spring. >> now back truman is the winner! >> shut up! >> yes! he's best in show! >> oh, my god! >> truman! >> that is truman, "today's top dog" winner of 2009, the three-legged 5-year-old labrador retriever took home the title after competing against burrito, the chihuahua-jack russell mix who loved mini golf. the 3-pound chihuahua dolly, who harmonized to owner pat's opera song. that one was freaky. and the 2-year-old australian shepherd bella, who knew how to read her commands. >> pretty amazing pooches, and it's time for another furry set of contestants. we're looking for "today's top dog" of 2010. so, if you think your pup's got some extra pizzaz, talent or more, write to us and tell us why he or she deserves the top dog title. >> to submit your video, go to todayshow.com and we'll accept submissions through the end of april. then we get to meet the top dogs. >> love those stories. meanwhile, coming up this half hour, does this mak me look fat? >> no, no! >> you know the answer to that question. well, according to a new book, you cones have to ask that question again if you follow some basic wardrobe rules. whether you have a buddhaby, as they call it, or cankles, we'll tell you how to dress for your body type. >> and maybe we'll be able to have a dessert here or there. so, this morning we'll talk about five luscious desserts out of five basic ingredients that you may always want to have at hand. if you have these five things, you can make these yummy things. look, that's one of them right there. >> all right. first, how about a check of the weather? >> absolutely. as we show you for today, we are looking at some strong storms possible from the gulf coast into the mid-mississippi river valley, showers to the north of there. snow showers through the rockies, rain in the pacific northwest with windy conditions, sunshine along the eastern seaboard. tomorrow that rain moves into the mid-atlantic, southeastern and down into the eastern gulf coast with showers up through the western great lakes. we've got more rain and wind in the and it will be mild here again, but with some filters sunshine, but not quite as bright as it has been the las couple of days. 60 is your high for thursday, a 50% chance of a few showers coming through, occasional showers and breezy and wet. could get anywhere from a quarter to and that's your latest weather. >> al, thank you so much. coming up, how to look like you've shed some pounds without going on a diet. for broccoli, say on for toys, say two. ys ! the system can't process your response at this time. what ? please call back between 8 and 5 ceral standard time. he's in control. gobye. even kids ow it's wrong to give someone the run around. at ally bank you never have to deal with an endless automated system. yocan talk to a real person 24/7. it's just the right thing to do. try the first great-tasting, zero-calorie... natural sweetener borne from the leaves of the stevia plant. truvía. honestly sweet. find it at your grocery store. truvía. honestly sweet. eating healthy is important, but only vegetables can give you vegetable nutrition. one of these will get you more than half way to your five daily servings. v8. what's your number? i reached my weight goal thanks to you so i am ready to get back out there. alright. that's great. i want to personally thank you for 100 calorie hearty chicken rotini. well, it's not just me. you're so funny. i like you. 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(announcer) it's more than just that great peanut taste, choosing jif is a simple way to show someone how much you care. choosey moms, choose jif. this morning on "today's style," have you ever tried on outfit after outfit and still think you look fat? well, style expert charla krupp says no more! her new book "how to never look fat again" shows you how to cover up the trouble spots with the right clothes. good morning. >> great to be here with you again! >> great to have you back. this is a follow-up to your last book "how to never look old." >> yes, that was about shaving off ten years to stay in the game and "how to never look fat again" is shaving off ten pounds so you can stay in the game and feel confident and great about yourself while losing weight. >> and you use terms like high-fat, no-fat to define the looks. we're going for the no-fat look. >> yes. with this book, i decided to change the language of how we talk about fat and know fat in clothing. all the other books are all about body shape, and i think that women just don't get it. >> yeah. we don't know if we're an apple or a pear or banana, for that matter. >> exactly. so, forget that. this is all about is a piece of clothing going to pack on the pounds? for example, jennifer lopez -- >> yeah. >> at the oscars, that dress packed on her pounds. >> she had that bustier that worked off the side there. >> that was like a hot fudge sundae. >> you have staples every woman should have in their wardrobe. what are they? >> yes. ke the new skinny breeches by spanx. a lot of people complained that shapewear was too heavy. these are super light and you can add them, and they come in nice colors. >> oprah says she doesn't wear undergarments, just those. >> forget the underwear. just wear these. and they're easy. because they come in colors, if you show them, it's no big deal. >> okay. >> another thing is a stack of bangles is a great distraction. if you've got a lot of arm flap, which a lot of women have. these are from r.j. la grassano with bloomingdale's where i'm kicking off my book tour. then moisturize your legs and keep them bronze. this is olay's -- >> because it camouflages them. >> yes. think of your bare legs as a fashion accessory. they have to be in good shape. we have to take as good a care of our body skin as we do our face. >> let's get to examples of the high-fat, no-fat looks. the first is for the women with big busts. you have an example of the wrong look, the high-fat look. >> right, right. >> and if we could pop that up. >> this is what not to wear if you have a big bust. >> okay. >> obviously, the safari shirt is the worst kind of shirt you can wear because pockets on your breasts are just calling attention to it. >> accentuating. >> it's like charlize theron's dress at the oscars with those rosettes. this is not the area you want to accentuate if you have a big bust. forget the pockets. >> then you've got the cinched waist going on there. >> that cinched waist. also, when your breasts just pop up, you know, right underneath your waist, you've got to pick up your boobs so that they're not resting on the belt. >> okay. so, what's an example of a no-fat look, something that is going to work for her? >> well, the no-fat look is to wear a v-neck. >> uh huh. >> keep the attention down and not at your breasts. plus,f you wear a jacket which has a great curve, it will accentuate the curves of your body and it will make you look super slim. and look at the difference. this is the same person five minutes later, and she looks ten pounds thin remember. >> and again, just showing the legs, too, also helps draw attention to the legs there. >> legs are great things to show at all times. >> next is for the woman who has a little extra around the middle, the buddha belly, as you say. >> yes. as we get older, so many women have this problem. the mennopod, as it's been called. when you wear a dress that has just a really cheap fabric, sorry to say -- >> and it clings to every curve. >> it's a light color and it's too short for her legs, and flats don't help, either. you're going to look fat. >> right. >> this is a high-fat look! >> okay, so, what's the no-fat? >> the no-fat, this is the same woman, elizabeth, our model. look how slender she looks. it's a dress that has some construction to it, and my mantra in the book is, it's not you, it's your clothes! >> and a little black dress always helps in that department. >> so super chic. and the hem line is right on here. she's wearing a belt that pulls her in. same woman five minutes later, looks fantastic. >> fabulous. okay, next problem area, a lot of women suffer from this, the wide hips and thighs. >> right. no matter how young you are, and lizzie miller was on your show. she's adorable, plus-size model. this is all about skirt length and shape. if you're athletic, you cannot wear the micro minis. i know they're so in style this season, but you have to just say no. and look how much better she looks in a great pencil skirt. it's dark and it has the right shape for her curves. >> wow. >> so wonderful. >> she looks like a completely different woman, righ >> she does. in black tights. she looks amazing. she had to buy this outfit -- >> very slimming. exactly, it's gorgeous. and the opaque tights, all of that and the pencil skirt. >> all that helps. and keep things mono tone where your problems ryt that's the thinner by tonight tip. >> that's a great tip to live by. okay, next is, unfortunately, what's become part of our vernacular, cankles, for the woman with the wide ankles, the wide feet. >> the new area where we have problems. if you have cankles, ladies, forget ankle straps -- >> the straps, ew. >> how fast can you get these out of your closet! they are making you look fat. they are cutting your legs in half. >> just draws attention right there to that area. >> totally, where you don't want it to. >> so, what's the no-fat look? >> that contrasting shoe is also bad. look at this. this is the same leg, a nude pump is one of the besthings that you can buy. it should match your skin color, and i love these because they give a lot of height where she doesn't have any height previously. >> so, a little heel always makes you -- >> a little heel is so helpful. >> -- look thinner, too. >> well, the bigger the heel that you can stand in. >> exactly. great examples and definitely some good takeaway tips there. thank you, charla. >> thank you, natalie. i'm convinced everybody can look thinner by tonight because it's all about the clothes. >> all about how you dress, right? charla krupp, thank you again. the book is called "how to never look fat again." good luck with it, by the way. >> you're in the book! >> i'm ithe book, who knew? hopefully, it's a no-fat. >> no-fat! up next, now that we don't have to diet -- well, not really -- how about some desserts? we've got five recipes using just five ingredients. t... against mid-morning hunger. honey nut cheerios is coming in a little short. you've got more whole grain in your little finger! let's get ready for breakfaaaaaaaaaast! ( ding, cheering, ringing ) keeping you full and focused with more than double the fiber and whole grain... in every tasty bite -- frrrrrrosted mini-wheeeeats! didn't know i had it in me. frrrrrrosted mini-wheeeeats! okay, dark circles... i've seen enough! introducing anew reversalist eye system from avon. part one brightens instantly... part two lightens the look of dark circles within weeks. my eyes look bright and awake. call 1-800-for-avon to find a representative. you'd savor exquisite specials and a fine chianti. but rome is like 4,200 miles away. that's why there's bertolli chicken florentine for two in a luscious white-wine sauce. bertolli. italy is served. made with gooey hersheys mini-kisses. spontanious joy may occur. so say hello to ocean spray 100% juice. and goodbye to added sugar. i thought we weren't adding any sugar. oh. okay, nobody use these cranberries over here. you need listerine® whitening® vibrant white™ rinse. the mouthwash that gets teeth four times whiter than the leading toothpaste. and kills bad breath germs. listerine® whitening vibrant white™. - ( music playing throughout ) - so i mix 16 ounces of sour cream with a packet of hidden valley ranch. at least tonight, it's something different. ranch potatoes. announcer: hidden valley ranch. mix it up. ranch potatoes. can you believe how fast kids grow these days? that's why there's new danonino. new danonino has twice the calcium of milk, ounce per ounce, with vitamin d. so it's power packed for healthy growth. yummy! new danonino from dannon. power packed to help kids grow. this morning in "today's kitchen," five ingredients for five fantastic desserts. we've got hot chef katherine d'iorio, executive chef for sarah lee and she's got some quick and easy reces to satisfy any sweet tooth. kathy, good morning. >> good morning! how are you? >> oftentimes, dessert is an afterthought. >> yes. >> i often forget to pull one together, but you say if we have basically five things in our kitchens, we can snap one together pretty quickly. >> yes. >> and these five things are? >> nuts, any variety that you like. chocolate, again, white chocolate or dark, whatever you like. heavy cream or whipped cream for a low-fat version. raw sugar, and you can use a terberato or demorato, and dough. >> and boom. you've got five things. we're going to first talk about the sweet breadsticks. >> yes. >> the finished product is over here, and thatooks like something any kid would love. get us started. how do we do that? >> this is a puff pastry i rolled out to a quarter of an inch thickness. i'll take a pizza roller, makes it real easy, cut it right in half. now what we're going to do is just brush on some melted butter. again, i always assume you're going to have butter, salt and water in your house. and if you don't, well, you don't have to even actually do this part. you might want to take just a little water, drizzle it over, just so it helps everything stick a little bit. okay, andnow, we're going to take the raw sugar. i like to use the raw sugar because it has a little crunch and it keeps some of the molasses flavor, so it keeps the flavor. >> i like it in my coffee. it just gives it a little something. >> i love it. and help me, those are salted cashews. they have been toasted. >> salted. that's an interesting choice. >> again, because actually, no one ever thinks of this, but if you add a little salt to your sweet, it brings out the sweetness. >> oh, i had one of those carmels with chocolate salt on top -- >> to die. >> i know! who knew that? >> it's my favorite. >> a surprise. >> okay. >> this is something your kids can do with you, too. >> absolutely. and they like to. now, again, we're going to take a little bit of butter, brush this over. and you can go really light on the butter. you don't need a lot because puff pastry is actually filled th butter, which is what gives it all the lovely layers. >> but you need it so it will twist. >> so it adheres, exactly. you'll take this and flip it over, and then you'll just roll it just so that you can kind of see the nuts popping through there, and this is just seal it up. that's all it's doing here. and then, again, these are kind of ruster lo eic looking, so yo need these to be perfect. this is why it's great for doing with a kid. you just do that -- >> and then you twist them like this? >> exactly. just sort of a light twist, like that, and then put them on a parchment-lined sheet. then you're just going to stick the ends down a little bit. >> stick the ends. >> and that will keep them from untwisting when they're baking. >> fantastic. that was easy. that was relatively easy. >> very easy. >> then we also have more puff pastry here. because you're going to involve some chocolate. >> yes. >> a flaky chocolate nut turnover. that sounds good. >> so it's a dessert or a decadent breakfast. >> oh, yeah. so, we're doing that, do another one. >> yep. you can do that. >> this is fun. >> and i'm just going to do a quick roll on this. again, something you can get the kids involved with. we're going to make an oval shape and take about a teaspoon -- this is some almonds that have been toasted and then you put them in a food processor and it makes almost a homemade almond butter. >> doesn't take too long. just toast the almonds a little. >> this is all about easy. and you can buy toasted almonds, which is great. this is about a teaspoon. i'm just going to stick that in, fold it over like that. you can use an egg wash if you want, to seal it. you don't actually really have to in this case because we're going to take the fork and you just want to make sure that it's really pressed down, especially at the edges, so that none of the chocolate, as it's cooking, leaks out. >> especially with a really nice chocolate would be fantastic. >> yes. >> oh, the kids would love that as well. >> perfect. >> let's go back because there are three other desserts we're going to not actually make because of the time, but we want to also say that all of these recipes are going to be on our website. these are the ones that are just cooked. >> yes. >> yummy. >> you'll drizzle the chocolate, and i'll let you do that, because who doesn't like to play with chocolate? >> so, you have a bowl on top of a bowl? >> a self-made double boiler. >> show me how to do this. >> take your fork -- >> fork, uh huh? >> yeah, and just kind of drizzle it over. >> oh, i see. >> like that. >> oh, that's fantastic! a little puff pastry. a little for you. >> exactly. >> fantastic. that looks good. now, the other desserts you can also make with these five ingredients, including -- >> almond bark. >> my husband's favorite, almond bark. do you just melt it like this? >> it's embarrassingly simple. you melt it like that, take some almonds. i took toasted slivered almonds. again, that brings out the nuttine nuttiness. dump it in there, mix it up and dump it onto a parchment paper. >> and don't cook it, just let it cool. stick it in the refrigerator? >> you can stick it in the fridge, let it get solid and break it into chunks. >> what's great is you can make it just right. like for example, if your son likes raisins and your daughter doesn't or something like that, you can mix it all in together. >> exactly. >> and what is this? >> these are like a homemade chocolate hazelnut filling and then some whipped cream -- >> that's where the heavy cream comes in. you whip that together. >> exactly, whip that up. if you want a low-fat rsion, you can buy a low-fat whipped toppg and then just chocolate drizzle over the top and then some nuts. and again, these are volivon. elegant, but easy. you make these. these are, again, puff pastry. you cut them into these little -- >> whipped cream on top. >> chocolate inside as well. kathy d'iorio, thank you for satisfying our sweet tooth this morning with great ideas. we're back in a moment. they never pass up a good dessert. kathie lee and hoda have made their way into the kitchen. >> good morning, everybody. >> you have a big guest coming up. >> we have -- >> three words for you. >> catherine zeta-jones. >> wow! >> need you say more? >> no. she's wowing them on broadway in a little night music along with angela lansbury and she's here to talk about, it's the 100th birthday of -- >> elizabeth arden. >> elizabeth arden, wonderful red door cosmetic. >> look at us. >> we actually look like the french flag, you guys. >> you look very nice. >> we'll talk about that, too. there's stuff going on with the french first couple. >> i've heard. >> rumors, anyway. >> we'll see. the sun starting to peek out, but rain is on the way, veronica has that information in a moment. the time now, 9:56. in the news for today, the d.c. cop who pulled a gun at a snowfall fight could be suspended for ten days. detective michael baylor says a crowd pelted his sufficient with snowballs during the blizzard. he got out and pulled a gun. let's get a check of the weather with meteorologist veronica johnson. no snowball fights in our future, very c future,? >> we have got overcast skies, the temperature ranges between 48 and 59 degrees. we'll see a high today of 63 with some filtered sunshine coming our way. 60 is your high for tomorrow. there is a chance of some occasional showers coming through, and then when that system finally gets here, breezy and wet on friday. a new system moving up the coast could get one to two inches of rain on saturday. >> 66 inbound, still a little bit of a delay, but far left side of your screen beginning after 123. just a little bit of volume left over, but improving and call cleared up both directions between roz lichbd and georgetown over the key bridge. >> another update in 26 minutes, we'll have more news, weather and traffic coming up at 11:00 a. captions paid for by nbc-universal television hey everybody. thank you for joining us today. it is wednesday, march 10. >> we have good news in the wine department. a breaking news story the calories in wine are different than the calories in a brownie. that -- calories in wine burn off much quicker than they do from eating other things. >> burn off as energy as opposed to sugar. >> sugar fat. fat. >> right. >> so they are talking about how -- this comes from the brigham & women's hospital in boston. >> very important. >> they think they are cracking open a glass of -- bottle of wine is a good thing. that may explain why women in france and italy and places where they do drink more wine seem to be more slimmer. >> then i should be 80 pounds. anyway. big news around here. did hoda cheat? yes, once again yesterday, cal ripken was here with us. >> let's set it up, first of all. >> you made a fool of yourself. >> his eyes. >> please. >> here is the story. obstacle course set up, sort of. we had to throw balls into a net, grill hot dogs and throw balls into a net. everyone is accusing me of cheating. when i say everyone, i mean one person in this entire globe. >> and everybody on facebook. >> videotape. that's how you prove whether something is true or not. >> that's how we proved you cheated the last time. >> misunderstanding. >> oh. >> it was. >> that's what madoff said, too. a misunderstand. >> let's take look at the tape. get five balls in. >> one, two. okay. >> one. >> okay. >> four, five. you are on. see. >> see what? >> five. forget it. >> one. >> okay. two. there we have it. five. >> two. >> four. >> that was three. >> four. >> that didn't go in, hoda! >> let me get to it. and five! game over. >> we didn't see it go in. >> what? throw five. highlighting. oh, oh. that looks like five. i'm glad we have instant replay. >> at the end, cal finished the mean sxuts said you haven't even opened them up. shelled. >> you. no. >> he was talking about your bag. >> no. get the tape. cal ripken held up your bag and said there is nothing in here. >> anyway. nothing changed. nothing. we got a lot of response from ople saying they go to the movies alone, too. right? or out to dinner azone yes. >> first of all, i don't think it is that big of a thing. >> it is not a big thing. it is glad it is not sad. real quick. i know we can't show anybody. have you ever gone to movies by yourself? raise your hands if you have gone to the movies by yourself. raise your hand if you have ever in your life gone to the movie by yourself. >> sara. >> you eventually do it. >> that's sad. anyway, there was good news about the wine. things even out in life. >> things do even out. there was really sad news that just broke while we were in the makeup room about an hour or so ago. corey haim -- you my know him from the reality show but he has been in a lot of shows. he was pronounced "usa today" at 38 years old they are speculating that it was -- involved drug it is an apparent overdose. the question was was it an accidental overdose. >> yes. >> wasn't matt just telling us he told someone he took -- this is called alleged -- 85 valium a day. has been to rehab 15 times. >> it was clear that he had drug issues. his mom apparently found him, went to the house and found him. this is all just developing as we speak. it is a really difficult story. tough story. >> you know what? there's always a good story go with the bad. thiss an unbelievable one. police are in norwalk, california. you said you heard it and it is maze. >> will is a little boy -- he is in his house with his young sister. >> 7iers old. >> right. these guys break in, crooks, with guns, break into the house. okay. and are holding his parents, it seems, at gunpoint the the kid scrambles to the bathroom with the 6-year-old, gets on the phone, has the presence of mine to dial 911 to talk to an operator while the bad guys are holding his parents, robbing them at gunpoint. listen to this brilliant little kid. >> can you tell me what happened? >> they come. they come. they open and ring the door and they have guns. can you come really fast? and bring soldiers, too. >> listen to me. where are you at in the house? >> inside the bathroom. >> you are in the bathroom? who is with you? >> my sister. >> how old is she? >> 6 years old. can you come really fast? hurry up. >> yes, stay on the line with me. don't hang up. listen to me. we're coming to help you but listen to me, okay. >> okay. >> when you were in the house tell me what whackly wh ll ll l what happened. >> okay. the guys -- they have -- [ screaming ] >> okay. what happened there is itall ended well. according to police, what happened, the guy said who are you on the phone with? the kid said 911. the bad guy ran out of the house. >> phonily saved his entire family. you can tell how terrified he is and he is still listening. >> i can't believe he had the presence of mind. what a great kid. this is something else kathie lee and i have a dispute about. this is in the news. . how could it not be? a young man that wanted to spend the last minutes with his girlfriend, wanted to give her a good-bye kiss. what he did was he stepped -- went around security to give her a good-bye kiss. >> after being told repeatedly by security you cannot do this. go away. let's just -- >> right. okay. mr. rutgers university staked it out and ended up shutting down the airport because they learned that something was amiss. >> a lot of flights got cancel. >> 200, hoda. thousands of people. >> okay. this guy was sentenced to 100 hours of community service. $500 fine. you think he should have gotten life in prison. >> no, i do not. i do not. haze him. something like that. i'm kidding. i just think -- you know, in principle, he is a guest in our country and should obey the country's laws. hoda thinks it is the most romantic thing in the world. >> he was in love. >> if you were waiting to get to your mother's funeral. >> now we are turning it into that. >> yes. >> he did make a mistake. >> he didn't think it through. >> i think he is in love. >> i wonder if he still is, you know. was it worth it? you know what i'm saying? >> we have a followup to the lindsay lohan story. we told you about it yesterday. >> i would think e-trade would be thrilled. they are getting millions of dollars of free advertising. >> if you didn't know -- >> drives me to drink. >> e-trade -- >> go ahead. >> e-trade has an ad out. in the ad there are -- baby girl. >> favorite commercials of all time. >> my portfolio. michael wolf. >> right. >> what's that? volatility in the market. taking care of wolf style. ooooh. >> here it is. >> and the milk-aholic lindsay was than over? >> milk-a-what? >> that's it. she thinks because they used her name they are mocking her. >> she apparently cried thoer mom and said why are they being so mean to me? why don't the other 285 million lindsays they are feel the same way? i don't think of lindsay lohan as a first name. i think she is famous as a lot of the other people that has one name but -- they call her li-lo. that's her nickname. i don't know. i think that -- she should be getting all kinds of attention from the work she does, hoda. she is a very good actress but she has to stop reinforcing this image she develop. >> i agree. i can't imagine that you would think that that was offensive. >> first of all, it is the cutest thing in the world. >> i love, love it. if you love music like we do, this is a deal -- little speaker. okay. here's how it works. you play your ipod. anthis little speaker you can put on anything and it will turn it into a speaker. look. a box of kleenex. here is a speaker. listen. ♪ isn't that cool? >> i can take that around and listen the myself all day long. >> put it on your "entertainment weekly" magazine. >> how cool. >> you could do it and kit play ♪ one is the lonliest number you ever heard ♪ >> i'm over that. >> right on the face. >> do you watch tv alone? have you ever watched tv by yourself? >> not in a public place but in my home. yes. >> have you watched it azone yes. >> there's nothing wrong with -- >> i don't see anything wrong. it is sad. >> no, it is not sad. let's see if it works. >> it has to be hollow, they zbled oh, my god. take that, catherine zeta-jones. you think you are the only great singer in the world. it doesn't cost that much either 50 bucks. >> anyway. >> i'm so excited. >> i first met her -- i sat there looking at her going no, it is impossible to be that beautiful. just impossible. she still is which really -- you know. >> she sang the song "send in the clowns." it is so -- i love her. >> we go to broadway every week. we see everything, pretty much everything. then when you see a great song piece like that, you realize why he's considered the greatest. today we are re-seeing "carnage." a cast change and some of the cast are coming on with us. fantastic. >> there is begin its book of world records. >> we met this guy. right? he has been on our show. >> he built a house of cards that was astonishing. it is the biggest ever, okay. 11 feet tall. 218,719 cards. 244 days to complete. there's no glue. >> 23no, no glue. >> oh, my gosh. >> he didn't seem weird when we met him did he? he didn't. he was a very, very nice guy. you never know what will float somebody's boat. everybody has a story. even you. all right. we are going update. are you r we ready to that? >> we are talking about the lindsay e-trade. dear lindsay, sorry to tell you but your maim is not unique. you are not oprah, cher or even hoda. in record to the cheating on the cal ripken segment, lucy says hoda should have been given a free pass for the abuse she took for going to the movies by herself. >> anyway. >> who said that? >> lucy. >> thank you, lucy. we have one more exciting thing. catherine zeta-jones is here with elizabeth arden. elizabeth arden provided five gift certificates -- >> right next to her. >> yes. >> make everybody nervous. >> five peel at the end of the day at random. pick me. >> okay. all right. >> hi. >> hello, dear. >> can't wait to see you. >> gorgeous. she's talented. she's -- i don't know. she is everything. we will chat with catherine zeta-jones right after this. hey thunder, lightning...what's the problem? oh, just watch. did you have a good breakfast? no. well here, try this... ...jimmy dean breakfast bowl. mmmmmmm... booooooommmm!! did someone call for rain? fight the morning fade with sausage, egg and cheese breakfast bowls jimmy dean. shine on. to start losing essential nutrients? not long. in fact, green beans lose half their vitamin c in a week. that's why green giant freezes them within 8 hours to lock in nutrients. ho ho ho green giant christopher columbus sailed the ocean blue... in 14 hundred and 92. nice! follow me, the missouri river is this way! lewis and clark expedition of 1804. oh, he'll never get this. magellan, 1520. awww, my 8 layers must've given it away. help keep your kid full and focused with 8 filling layers... of whole grain fiber found in kellogg's frosted mini-wheats cereal. this is one giant leap for mini-kind. keeps 'em full. keeps 'em focused. hoo hooo! mega-movie star, global spoesz person, mother of two beautiful children. if that's not enough, she is conquerring, and i mean it, sensational, rate white way. >> in "a little night music." let's take a look at that. >> however, there is one tiny snag. >> snag? >> lloyd is married. >> that would be considered a snag. >> don't you worry, my darling. i was not raised by your grandmother for nothing. >> that grandmother, of course -- >> the global spokesperson for elizabeth arden. the cosell brats -- i can't believe this. 100th anniversary. >> 100 years. >> you look good. >> thank you. >> we love the genesis of elizabeth arden. she started off with $6,000. >> 1910. >> that was worth maybe $25,000 then. something like that. >> a woman of great -- obviously great strength. creativity. to be able to create what is now one of the biggest global beauty companies. a year. what she did for them and stood for women, especially at that time, was that you can be beautiful and strong at the same time. >> yes. >> women donot even have the vote then. >> if you have never been to new york and see elizabeth arden, red door, i always wondered what the genesis was. >> well, mine, what it has become the most famous icon and she -- literally painted her door red to get people's attention as they walked up the street. that iconic image -- it is still. i mean -- share holder in the company. i don't feel like i'm just a talking head. i do believe in it and i find, you know, i just find that, you know, i'm very proud to be part of a company that was created by the great elizabe arden and the door is so iconic that people -- i mean, people come. >> people are always asking you your beauty secrets. so you can legitimately say -- i use it. >> i do use it. >> lather it on michael doug glass he loves it. when he is asleep i try out a new product on him. he wakes up with -- what's this? but -- no. i do get to. i'm a girl's girl. i'm so glad my daughters want to. >> character. >> how old she? >> she is 6. unanimous so glad she is a girl. i wouldn't quite know what do with a tomboy. my mother was -- not putting the garbage out until have you the lipstick on. maybe we had a nice looking cute trash collector. i don't know. she was always -- >> story. >> put rouge on. lipstick on. you look tired. >> she also is the one that was behind you and said yes, darling. follow your dreams. go to the -- west end. >> people think you are just a movie star. you started out in theater. >> started out in theater. doing this run. it is hard for me to believe it has taken me 20 years, 22nd street. west end. >> your director on this originally turned it down. >> i do like to remind him on a regular basis. he wrote me a letter and said -- i thought you were a little bit too young for the part. and you were too pretty for the part. i will take that. too young, too pretty. thank you very much. >> i cannot be this pretty and i can be as hold as you want me to be. good acting. >> you hesitated originally when they asked you about taking on this role, right? >> well, i -- i have been waiting to -- once you -- you know, it is -- i wanted to find the right thing. i mean, after "chicago," i had a the lot of offers. you know, it was a revival but not something that had the true essence. without his genius, it really is a fantastic play. >> great. >> angela -- angela, elizabeth arn. >> is she really? >> yes. she will be -- same color lipstick on stage. she's my mother. she lights up the stage. >> she lights up the stage. >> thank you so much. >> it is lovely to see you. i want to see you back on broadway. >> a three-woman show. >> there you go. >> i will be at your door. >> your red door. >> like elizabeth arden. >> give our love to michael. >> i will. >> coming up, we are being green. we will test your knowledge of the irish. you took my eggs ! it's an "egg management fee." what does that even mean ? egg management fee. even kids know it's wrong to take other people's stuff. that's why at ally bank we don't eat away at your savings with fees. and we offer rates among the most competitive in the country. it's just the right thing to do. the smell of freshly juicede most compewheat grasshe country. and hand pressed shirts. whatever scents fill your household, purina tidy cats scoop helps neutralize odors in multiple cat homes. purina tidy cats scoop. keep your home smelling like home. 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guy: it's a special paste i invented to replace socks. wife: why? guy: because we can't find socks that shape to our feet. we're sick of it! announcer: hanes makes better-fitting socks. guaranteed or your money back. fruit - we all know it's good for us, but most of us find it hard to get as much as we need or want. try del monte fruit naturals. these portable cups of pre-cut, chilled fruit are ready-to-eat, so the only thing you need to peel is the lid. you'll never be disappointed with fruit that's unripe or spoiled every mouthful is just right, and bursting with flavor. enjoying a delicious fruit snack can be this easy. look for del monte fruit naturals chilling in your produce section now. brand power. helping you buy better. he won hearts, but now he's dead at the a of 48. also today your favorite foods on aed a tys and drugs. we are back on this wednesday with more of "today." past would days have been filled with a million dollar lawsuit and a bridezilla brawl. >> tracking the latest celebrity news, chief legal analyst dan abrams. >> we got sad news this morning about corey haim. there is talk of drug overdose. do we know anything more? >> what they will probably do is an autopsy. figure out exactly what the cause of death was, et cetera. but this is one of those situations where have you someone that's in and out of rehab a long time. and i think that probably immediately came out what happened the first thing everyone probably thought of who knew him was possible overdose. >> yeah. >> absolutely. i think that the tragedy of corey haim is that his career passed on long ago and struggling to find his way back ever since then. he got into drugs because of the fame. young star in hollywood. inevitable. clearly he was using the drugs as a coping neck nice mamechani >> corey haim is almost -- as well known for the dru now as he is for his movie career. no one was surprised. >> you were actually at -- in the courthouse yesterday. right? on the letterman case. this is what robert hall ehr ha appeared in court. what was the vibe in the courtroom? >> nothing expect a guilty plea. everyone thought it was going to trial. we are going take letterman down. >> guilty. >> exactly. >> of course. no real defense. he was going on television regularly. halderman's lawyer criticizing letterman. >> that's not a defense. comparing the case to tiger woods. that's not a fense. >> not a defense. >> i'm not saying this is not a defendable case. but i was expecting that they would probably try to cut a deal here. >> entire time -- >> didn't actually believe that -- you know. >> that's one thing. the notion they were always confident that this would go to trial, i didn't believe it for a second. >> wasn't it just a one-page -- if i write it it will be this. >> isn't it funny all the focus now -- it is letterman, the victim in this whole thing. you sort of lose sight of the whole -- other story. >> i mean -- i think -- i was reading comments people posted on different websites yesterday. not that in the criminal act but emotional state this guy was in. this is a guy that has been divorced twice. the thing that was heartbreak when you read the testimony, read the account of when happened when he was extorting letterman, i want the money so i can visit mason in colorado. the thought of being this powerless man, run out of money, one of the richest men on television -- >> take a nice trip for $2 million. >> now he can't as part pleeft deal, he can't write a book. he can't make any money. >> you know, he's -- his career is obviously over in the news business. >> look, i think that these days, people are able to redeem themselves in ways they wouldn't available to 15 years ago. will he be able -- i don't know if she a good writer. production company, whatever it is, i have to believe that -- >> people love a good comeback. i would never count that out with this guy. >> when lindsay lohan filed a $100 milli lawsuit against e-trade as a trained lawyer, what did you think? >> i thought to myself, how much did we sue for? it is like a made-up number. it is a ridiculous lawsuit. the notion that because there was a reference to lindsay in this ad that has been widely seen. a, there are thousands and thousands of lindsays out there. she says she was defamed. defamed because the person refers to her as a milk-aholic. >> which is not a bad thing. >> if they are mocking her, that's a parody anyway. >> public figure. >> under any theory here, they are not going win. >> what do you think about her make thing move? is it going to further destroy her career? >>he is so -- she is such a narcissist. she is addicted to any attention good or bad. she sold an interview to a british tabloid to talk about her cocaine addiction. now she is complaining she is portrayed as a milk addict. i think she is looking at this point for any kind of means to get attention. yohave to be far is a cystic to see that ad and think it is about you and go the further step to file a lawsuit. >> she is one of those that you just say to yourself, we hope we are not having a meeting some morning discovering lindsay is the latest person to fall. >> interesting that her mother gave an interview saying -- sympathy for her daughter plind say called her crying about this. saying that she has been mistreat and the mother seemed to agree with that instead of sort of -- saying -- >> get your act together. >> thank you for your insight. >> sure. >> thank you shall everybody. >> we are all perfect. right? >> yeah, right. up next, four leaf clover. guinness. we are all about st. patrick's day right after this. perfect. put your milk in. okay. ♪ whoa. okay, that's good. 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[ buzzer ] >> the actual answer here is 1737. i think it is interesting, too, st. patrick's is huge in this country but in ireland not so much. >> we took it for granted. had is our sane. in ireland you don't have to prove you are irish. i was amazed when i came here. >> excellent. let's go back across to kath. >> do you want to see it? park penn state. in the united states, roughly how many people have irish roots? we are not talking about these kinds. 20 million? 28.5 million? 32.million? 36.5 million irish? >> b. >> no, no, no. you lost. all right. that's it. gave you a little help. you don't usually do that. hoda is the cheater among us. not me. >> stop it. the actual number is 33.5 million. indidn't realize that many. >> that's a lot of people. number three after the elish and german. north and south of ireland. catholic and protestant. >> one quick last one. >> popular mythology, what creature did st. patrick drive out of ireland? s we also, snakes, crows, will he remember caans. >> snakes. >> yes. >> the whole idea the demons, paganism. with christianity. >> you are a musician. what do you do? what do you play? >> banjo, guitar and sing and teach mousse zblik excellent. we are so glad you could be with us today. thank you so much. really appreciate it. 6 kathie lee will come back over here. next we will talk about prepackaged foods. are they good for yo first, these messages. why choose between delicious or 100 calories? with yoplait delights... ...now you can finally have both. it's the perfect parfait... ...with two indulgently rich layers... ...of chocolate... ...and raspberry yogurt... ...and only 100 calories. yoplait delights. get rid of the "or". you'd savor exquisite specials and a fine chianti. but rome is like 4,200 miles away. that's why there's bertolli chicken florentine for two in a luscious white-wine sauce. bertolli. italy is served. - uh-huh. - ( rope creaking ) - ( rope snaps ) - ( piano clangs ) - ( crashes ) - glad forceflex trash bags are so strong, one bag is all you need to pick up the pieces from even your biggest disasters. - ( doorbell rings ) - where do you want the piano? for stretchable strength get glad forceflex. a man can only try... and try. i heard eating whole grain oats can help lower my cholesterol. it's gonna be tough...so tough. my wife and i want to lower our cholesterol, but finding healthy food that tastes good is torturous. your father is suffering. [ male announcer ] honey nut cheerios tastes great and can help lower cholesterol. bee happy. bee healthy. [ female announcer ] try new chocolate cheerios with a touch of delicious chocolate taste in every bite. ♪ we are back with eat smart today. most of us are on the go. we need healthy options. when it comes to pre-packaged food. if you are watching your weight, reading labels and looking for ingredients you can pronounce, "prevention" magazine found the best foods out there. courtney smith, executive editor. always glad to see you. >> thank you. great to be back. >> it is hard when it comes to processed foods. we wish we could eat organic and healthy all the time. we are on the go and can't do it all the time. >> manufacturers are now stepping in and truly creating products that are minimally processed. the ones we selected here, they have minimal added sugar, fat and salt. they have fewer ingredients. and no hydgenated oil, no heart fishal flavors. >> these are the go-to foods. >> a friend of mine introduced me to these bars a few years ago. they are amazing. >> what sets these apart are mid from a raw blend of fruit and nuts. that's it. there is no added sugar and they are fulfilling fiber. they really keep you satisfied. and have it with a glass of organic milk, hearty afternoon snack. >> they are delicious. >> peanut butter. tricky one. what do you suggest for peanut butter? >> crazy richard's natural peanut butter, only ingredient in the jar is peanuts. no added salt. there's no hydrogenated oil. no added sugar. it is so simple. it is delicious. >> great source of nutrition. right? >> they are. >> they take great on their own. you don't need the additives. >> fantastic. >> isn't that good? you can spread it on whole wheat bread. it will keep you going for hours. >> guiltless. >> guiltless gourmet. black bean dip. knewtrition on this is incredible. zero grams of fat. it is a goodource of protein. and it has antioxidants, two grams of fiber per serving. >> i cap get the peanut butter out of the mouth. >> recommend vegetable was that. >> as opposed to chips. >> frozen veggie department? >> yes. bird's eye asparagus stir fry. healthy meal in a bag. anmportant thing to remember about pruts and vegetables is that they are just as nutritious as fresh picked and don't go bad. is easy to keep them on hand. >> add sodium in many cases to them. >> in many cases but the bird's eye stir fry, no added sugar, if the or salt. 90 calories per serving. stir fry it with canola oil. >> put chicken in there, too. >> quick thing to make for dinner, kashi products. >> kashi tuscan veggie bake. this one is microwaveable. ready in minutes and in this case, we have vegetables, layered with tomorrow tate owe sauce between whole grain noodles. >> i don't know. >> this is also only 260 calories. you have enough leftover for a side salad. >> gosh. you will love it. you are going to love it. >> i have one of these in the frezer. >> it is cold. >> tast the flavor. >> i was expecting more. >> okay. >> mac and cheese. >> we don't think of it as healthy. this is annie's version of mac and cheese and made with whole wheat shells. organic cheese which is free of hormones. >> no breast milk in this. >> no breast milk. >> you can serve it family style. great for kids. >> it is warm. >> if have you a cup of this with a side of sauteed broccoli, 310 calories. room for dessert. here we are recommending the haagen-dazs mango sorbet. made from mango puree. lemon pumpkin juice and carrot juice concentrate, vitamin a and b. >> no sweet in it, no sugar added. >> no. >> we have to run. grit. >> we have more foods in the magazine. prevention.com. >> thank you so much. we will be right back. first, this is "today" on nbc. there is our pretty sara. what's up? >> completely and fair and balanced, team klg is on the wallace well. i am on team kg. >> i got no support, what are you talking about? >> tomorrow, how to deal with awkward situations.