welcome to "today" on this wednesday morning, february 13th, 2013. inside studio 1a i'm willie geist alongside al roker and natalie morales. >> i love this song. i love this song. >> go ahead. don't stop now. >> no. pink sings this song, not me. >> sing it, girl! >> you can for a little bit. food network's superstar sunny anderson. >> superstar? >> superstar. >> she's already won us over because there's bacon. and you brought us some bacon. >> yeah. we're going to get to that. >> special oatmeal. >> you got to like pig. >> is it true that bacon at this point can go with anything? >> sure. bacon and chocolate cake.

why not? >> what doesn't go with bacon? >> bacon and omelettes, why not? >> bacon and chocolate. >> we'll have a little bacon breakfast. >> i'm all for that. >> take three with our state of the union last night. up on capitol hill, congress talked about jobs, immigration, he talked about gun control. >> he gave out bacon. >> he should have given out bacon. he gives the address. getting beyond the substance and policy is the response from senator marco rubio from florida. a ten-minute address talking about high taxes, spending, speaking in both english and spanish. and then he did this. >> slow motion now for the water graph. couldn't they put the water a little bit closer to him? you know? >> that was during the live address. listen, we've been there. you get something in your throat. >> little dry. >> i think it was the way he did it.

he kind of made a dive for it. >> so far. >> you wonder if he could have said excuse me and then -- i need a sip of water. otherwise it looked like he was ducking and running. >> look, it's live. what are you going to do? he just reaches. >> especially if you have something in your throat, we've all been there. >> it would have been worse had he started choking. >> i have a tip for him. first of all, he's a pop fan which i love. i have to give him some tips. i heard from someone a long time ago that does a lot of speaking that having a banana before you go on moistens your mouth. >> is that true? >> i don't know. ever since i heard it, i've tried it. i don't know if it's the placebo effect but it actually works. for hours my mouth is still salivating. >> is that true? >> yeah, yeah. >> really? >> rubio, banana. >> sometimes if you have too much saliva in your mouth, then you have to swallow. >> it's gross. >> it takes a second to -- excuse me. >> i got some water over here. >> this is working out well,

yeah. >> next year, republican response, go with the banana beforehand. >> that or put the water like right in front of him on a little table. >> get one of those little chug head things with the two poland springs. >> camel back on the back. >> hilarious. >> bright young star in the republican party. funny moment. >> meanwhile free advertisement for poland springs. >> good sense of humor. >> take two keeping with the theme of water, matt damon raising water awareness. he is declaring in a video that he's going to hold off from using the bathroom. we'll explain this after you watch. >> until everybody has access to clean water and sanitation, i will not go to the bathroom. question? yeah. >> um, what? >> yeah, go ahead.

>> do you mean literally, like you won't go to the bathroom but you'll go somewhere else? like maybe a swimming pool? >> you're the reporter. you do the math. >> i don't know what that means. >> i just have a follow-up here. >> damon is one of the co-founders of water.org, nonprofit that gives access to safe water. he says in that spot right there that toilets have saved more lives than any other inventions. this is the way you have to grab people's attention. three minute video. now everybody knows what water.org is. he has a knack for this method. >> i kind of like the idea of someone understanding that they have a position where they can bring attention to something and why not use it. i just -- i don't understand how he's going to get away with the no number one. maybe the no number two, but that number one is really difficult. >> i think they'll find ways around it. not the swimming pool. >> thinking about clean water.

take three, tomorrow is valentine's day. special plans, especially if you live here in the new york area. across the river in brooklyn, you can spend your valentine's day touring the newtown creek sewage plant. >> on valentine's day? >> on valentine's day. >> those look like bottles of water. >> before you laugh this tour is so popular they had to addthy third. they had to add in an 11:00 am. apparently if you go up to the top there are great views of new york city and in some way becomes romantic though the smell does get in the way of romance. >> you think? >> a little bit. >> go to sunset park, brooklyn, sit outside. beautiful view of the city. so many places to go to get a beautiful view. >> free tours. i'm telling you. you get a free hershey kiss. >> what have you got planned for valentine's day? >> you know what we're going to

do? we're going to do a family thing. we make today family day. take the kids out to dinner. >> it's one of these hallmark holidays. every day should be about doing something together. we're going to probably spend dinner at home with the kids. >> do you have plans for valentine's day? >> not really. we exchange cards with the kids. >> you made diy. >> not that crafty stuff. >> make a lot of pillows? >> don't make pillows, don't make soap, don't make candles. that's why they have stores. >> i'm going to hang out with my cat. wet/dry food mix to show him i really love him. >> so sweet. >> i don't know. i'm going to ask maybe they don't walk on anything black in the house for a day to treat me like i'm special. nothing special. i'm a cat lady. what can i say? >> really? >> let's liven this up with some

bacon. >> let's do it! >> taste a sample. >> ooh, bananas. >> this is what i do every day, the breakfast of kamps. wow! >> start with the basic oatmeal. >> start with the oatmeal. give that a stir. reason i like this, i can put this in a bowl and walk around with it. i don't have to like cut into it or anything like that. what you do is if you're doing it right, you've got so much additives in it that it's almost as if you don't have the oatmeal. it's kind of like would you like some bananas with your oatmeal, you know what i mean? toast them right, they make this cool sound when you drop them into the oatmeal. little bit of brown sugar, make it sweet. pass that down. get some cranberries. >> i like this. >> some bacon! i tweeted a couple of weeks ago, picture of my breakfast. what's the bacon doing in the bowl? first of all this is it's all going in the same place.

>> let me top off willie's. >> man after my own heart. >> get all the bacon. >> this is good. >> nutrition, you get your protein. you've got your grains from your oats. you've got bananas. you've got your full serving of fruit in there for breakfast. >> sweet, savory. >> exactly. sweet, salty, texture. love it. >> anything with bacon is a winner for me. >> i know, right? i can't believe you got all the bacon, willie. >> sunny, you'll stick around with us. >> can you believe it? >> there will be more bacon. meantime, natalie has a look at the headlines. >> tear myself away from the bacon. come on back now, so that i can read. all right. in the news this morning, former -- sunny makes her way over. former los angeles police officer's ten-day reign of terror is apparently over this morning. on tuesday, authorities trapped christopher dorner inside a remote cabin in big bear lake. there were gunshots, tear gas and later a fire that burned the

building to the ground as a single gunshot rang out from inside. forensic tests are being done but sources tell nbc that the body inside is dorner, who is responsible for killing four people. on this ash wednesday, pope benedict is performing what is scheduled to be his last public mass. he is stepping down for the good of the church because he did not have the strength to continue. he asks people to continue to pray for him, the church and the new pope. his successor will start next month. conditions appear to be getting worse on that carnival cruise ship triumph after fire left the ship adrift without power in the gulf of mexico. passengers are complaining about filthy, hot conditions and trouble getting food. the ship is being towed to mobile, alabama, where it's expected to arrive tomorrow. carnival says it is trying to make the passengers as comfortable as possible. a new report by the national hurricane center estimates the total cost of damage caused by superstorm sandy to be around

$50 billion. that's greater than any u.s. hurricane except for katrina in 2005. the report also blames 72 deaths directly on sandy, making it the deadliest hurricane to strike the northeast in four decades. we are mourning the loss of veteran nbc news correspondent tom aspul who spent 20 years with nbc, covering world-changing events including the fall of saddam hussein and the war in afghanistan. he was 62 years old. all of us who work with him remember him so well and loved him dearly. it was a ride to remember for a pregnant woman heading to the hospital a few days ago in connecticut with three feet of snow on the ground from that blizzard and lori wood, about to give birth, five neighbors fashioned a car luggage carrier into a sled. they then dragged her 1,000 yards until they found a plowed road and a car that could get

her to the hospital. and she gave birth to this beautiful little baby boy, jimmy, about an hour later. that's an adventure into the world. more baby news also this morning. alec baldwin and his wife are expecting their first child together. hilaria baldwin, special correspondent for "extra" is due to give birth late this summer. it is now 11 minutes after the hour. with where is that poland spring? let's get a check of the weather from al. >> all right. thanks, nat. you love "today." we love that. where are you from? >> dallas. >> what's your name? >> dina silverman. >> you're certainly dressed for the occasion. >> thank you. >> good to see you. let's check your weather. we've got an unsettled east coast, main threat basically down in the southeast, winds, couple of isolated tornadoes. winter weather advisories from west virginia into eastern long island. you can see some of that frozen precip up through indiana, moving through southern ohio. thunderstorms in southern florida -- make that northern

florida. basically looking at half an inch to an inch of rain. as we get into the northeast, heavier snow in the mountains of west virginia. locally about four inches of snow possible eastern long and parts of connecticut. th >> and that's your latest weather. willie? >> al, come on back inside for more oatmeal and bacon. up next, jill's steals and deals after this. i'm here with daphne oz, a model of healthy habits. so daphene, do you eat activia.

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on jill's steals and deals, exclusive bargains for "today" viewers. "today" contributor and contributing editor for people style watch, jill martin is back to take us through incredible offers. good morning. >> good morning. >> great ideas for valentine's day. going to get there a little bit late. let's get started. >> it's always nice to buy yourself a gift. everyone loves a deal. everything has been selling out so quickly. >> let's start then. >> beautiful wraps by portolano. >> we see our little ladies are modeling them right now wrapped all different ways, $120, made of 100% lamb's wool. you see the fringe edges,

beautiful. choice of seven colors. one size fits all. you dry clean only i want to say before you buy it. retail $120. the deal $36. that's 70% off. >> these are great. they're so big they could even be a throw if you want. >> and just a great gift also if you want to load up on those. skin essentials three-piece system from pure attitude. tell us about that. >> really rich feeling. i have to open this up for you so that you can feel it. retail is $144. it's a three-piece system that includes full-sized six weeks supply, probably last you longer, purifying rice face wash, moisturizer and multieffects i cream, dermatologist tested and approved. retail $144. $34.50, that's 76% off. >> i love this. it's a gel moisturizing cream, which is nice for your face because then if you're oily or prone to breakouts, that's good. >> they look good. i always like the way they look

when they're sitting in your bathroom. >> great packaging. >> yeah. >> we've got gift cards from restaurants.com which means how many different kinds of restaurants you can use them for, right? >> over 18,000 restaurants to check out nationwide. retail for this is $300. you go online, print out this $300 voucher or different denominations. you don't have to do it all at once. go to these 18,000 restaurants. you have to check each one to see what the limits are, is alcohol included and tip is not included. 25, 100, 50. you can give them as gifts. print them out. each purchase, a portion of it will go to the american cancer society. >> oh, great. >> this is really, really nice. so the retail, you spend $300 is what you get. the deal is $40. >> wow! >> $300 worth. 87% off. this is a great deal. one per customer. know that when you go on. this is major. sunny is eyeing this one. >> oh, yeah. okay. >> over here now, this is

another major deal. this is a first for us, too. great delonghi espresso maker. >> retail $250. number one brand in the world for espresso maker. single serve system, cappuccino, ice drink, lattes. you see the 12 little pods down there. retail is $250. the deal is $75. that's 70% off. this is great for entertaining and also if you don't want to make a full pot if it's just you. everybody can sort of pick their flavor. i like the way it looks. >> up in my office, this would be great. little espresso, cappuccino. >> last, but not least little beautiful monogrammed necklaces. >> i love how beautiful these are. >> by golden thread. >> personalized 14 karat gold.

on a 30" chain. it's a little bit longer. can choose one or three initials. been featured in people and people style watch and handmade in the u.s. retail $155. the deal $47, 70% off. another great gift post valentine's day because every day should be valentine's day. >> no reason you can't get it for yourself. >> i love that. >> jill martin, thank you. again, let's remind you what the products are. wrap from portolano, skin essentials kit from pur attitude, restaurant.com gift cards, delonghi espresso order and the monogrammed necklace from golden thread. still ahead, spring style trends coming up after these messages. what makes your family smile?

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welcome back to "today" on this wednesday morning, february 13th, 2013, the day before valentine's day. i'm willie geist along with al roker, natalie morales and food network superstar sunny anderson, helping us out this morning. >> i'm happy to be here. >> super of the superstars. just ahead we'll show you some of the trends we'll be seeing in the store this is spring. and choosing the right college advice from an ivy league dean. we're getting crafty for valentine's day. we'll do that with soleil moon frye. before that how about a check of the with an earth? >> okay. it sounded like you said moon pie.

just in time for mardi gras. >> we love bacon. >> with moon pie. as far as your weather is concerned, wet weather from the southeast into the midatlantic states, little snow later this afternoon into this evening, quick hit, no big problems. few showers in the pacific northwest. tomorrow, sunny skies, cool in the midatlantic states into the northeast. few snow showers around the eastern great lakes. shower or two along the pacific northwest coast. and look for central and northern rockies to see some snow activity. that's what's going on around the co

>> and that's your latest weather. natalie? >> announcer: "today's" style is brought to you by yoplait. learn how to take your look from good to so good. >> al, thank you. this morning on "today's" style, a sneak peek at fashion week. we went behind the scenes with glamour magazine's editor in chief cindy levie to check out the trends that rocked the runway. >> we're here at the spring 2013 fashion shows where we're looking at the clothes that designers think you're going to want to wear and you're going to be dying to buy. let's take a look. one big trend, and we're seeing it everywhere for spring, is leather. black leather, very tough leather. leather harnesses everywhere on the runway from bcbg, to jason wu, known for dressing the first

lady. went very tough girl f you're looking for a way to bring your bad side girl out i think you will be happy shopping this spring. if you're wondering what colors will be big this spring, think about black and white worn together. we're seeing incredibly beautiful black and white patterns, gold stripes at marc jacobs. victoria beckham did beautiful black and white combinations. alexander wang did his entire collection in black and white. what's different is that you're not just wearing a white piece atop a black piece but mixing up black and white in one garment. it's really chic. by the way, super easy to wear. if you haven't bought a suit in a few years, you're probably going to want to do that this spring. suits are a big trend. suits in stripes and bright colors, with cutouts and floral patterns. suits are interesting and they're popping up everywhere from victoria beckham to jason wu. the trick is don't go too basic.

and, p.s., it can be a pant suit, skirt suit and it can especially be a short suit. they really have become incredibly wearable looks. designers believe in them and i think you can do it. >> i love the look of spring already. cindy levie is here to show us how to pull off the new spring trend. good morning. >> good morning. >> let's start with leather. you did see a lot of leather on the runway. usually we don't think of it as a spring fabric. >> not at all. >> dressing it up. >> it's out there. this is a lighter leather. it's not really heavy. you don't feel like you're wearing a winter coat. jason wu and a lot of other places we saw it. we wanted to show you how you can pull it together at any price range. let's bring it our first model, ashley. >> glamour staffer, looking fantastic today. what's great about this leather skirt which, by the way, is faux. there is a lot of faux leather out there that looks fantastic. we paired it with lace. i love that leather and lace

combination. it looks really sophisticated. the fact that it's pale makes it feel not too, too edgy. you could take and wear this on a weekend with little flats or sandals and a t-shirt. it could be a knock-around skirt. >> and you could wear it in the fall. >> leather leggings are another great piece. wear that all year round. >> leather leggings? >> for real. i'm a big fan. >> next color combo of the season. alexander wang did everything black and white. >> it's not really a color combo. we all have black and white pieces in our closet but how the designer shows them and how you see lisa wearing them here is in two black and white patterns mixed. a lot of women are nervous about pattern mixing and fashion magazines are always saying do it, do it, do it. this is a great way to start. black and white is a safer, more conservative palate. >> do you think that works on

any size? >> if the pattern is small on the area you're trying to minimize, that's the best. a top like this with big wide stripes is really flattering on almost anybody. you can take this top, put it with a big skirt for a dressier look. incredibly versatile. >> it's a great top. lisa, thank you. finally, the spring suit. you'll see a lighter, more fun version of the classic. >> absolutely. we all have skirt suits and pant suits. what we're really into at glamour, believe it or not, is the short suit. i love this look. this is something that probably a lot of women don't already have in their closet. you could wear these pieces separately. they're super versatile. i love how they look together for the office. i think she looks incredibly promotable. >> she does. >> if your going to try this look, by the way, notice her shoes are polished flats. you don't want to go with a high heel with shorts. that is a tricky look to be able to pull off. also you don't want to go with a really casual sneaker for the

office, too casual. >> i'm not doing the shorts. i can do capris. >> you can absolutely do capris. right now it's a great thing to invest in the suit. the corals, beautiful brights look good on everybody's skin tone. it's refreshing to see suits. it's been a while on the runway. >> cindy levie, i know you're in fashion week as well. enjoy it. ladies, come on out. you all look amazing. up next, college advice from an ivy league team right after this. about your favorite flavors. so when you call, tweet, and post, we listen. that's why yoplait light and yoplait original are now made with no high fructose corn syrup. and why we use only natural colors and natural flavors in yoplait original. so, anything else we can do for you, let us know. but you'll keep it to yogurt, right? 'cause we shouldn't really help with your love life. yoplait. it is so good!

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"today" on education nation, advice for students and parents on choosing colleges. dean of admission from the university of pennsylvania. good to see you. >> honor. >> what's the questions, when you're starting to think about college, both for the student and for the parent? what do they need to ask? >> i think they have to be honest with each other. they really need to think about what their anxiety level will be. as a parent, would you allow your child to go far from home? what do you want academically? talk about the careers, too. why are you going to college, to really think about the education you're going to receive and not just the linear path, let's say, to a job. >> a lot of kids and parents are planning the spring break vacations and visiting colleges. what do you want to look for when you go to that college? >> i like seeing parents and students walk into the admissions office and seem like

they're relaxed, because they're going to really be able to take in the place that way. think about just planning a vacation. you could be really stressed about it or you could make the most of it. i think if they're honest with each other, what they want out of that visit and go off the beaten path. go to the library. look at the -- go to the library. not the first on the list, but you should. on penn's campus, it's locust walk. stand in the middle of the college quad at any school when students come out of classes. hear those conversations. go to the information session and tour. try to get a sense of what day-to-day life is like. >> is it a lot like buying a house, you know it when you see it as far as the fitative college? >> i think it's intellectual and emotional. you can look and say this plans to be a right fit but you walk in the door and know right away it's not. i think it's a good analogy. >> what about the academic facilities, how important are those? >> certainly. you want to see where an

institution is investing. at penn we just invested in a music building and also in our stem field, in engineering and math and science. so i think it's important to see the priorities that an institution has. and i think for some students those facilities will really dictate a decision. >> isn't it important for parents and students to have a pretty frank discussion about what they can afford? >> absolutely, al. i think that affordability is something that maybe even ten years ago families would not discuss. you try to protect your children. >> sure. >> nowadays i think it is very important to be honest about what need-based financial aid may look like. penn has a no-loan financial policy as a example. also do we need to get that scholarship? what does merit money look like? what about the state institution where you live and maybe even out of state? that could still be more affordable. >> as an admissions person when you look at a child's transcript, what's better, an a in a regular course or a b in an

ap course? >> it is the old-age question of rigger versus performance. i think the important piece here is recognizing in the process, it is a human process, al, that students aren't equally strong in all fields. >> sure. >> i don't want to see a student avoid a language, math or science in their senior year but that doesn't mean that they need to take the ap physics in their senior year. >> how important are the essay questions? >> common application among the common application -- we just came up with new prompts with a lot of input from guidance counselors and others about what do students -- what do they internalize when they read the question? at the end of the day, we want to hear the student's voice. let them take down the trappings and not speak to an admission's dean, per se, but tell the story what they want us to hear about. >> i hear my friends saying their kids are applying to 10, 15 colleges. what's a good average number? >> sitting here in manhattan or philadelphia, those numbers are higher. the average number of applications submitted to the

common application, which has about 500 member schools, is four. >> so that's not a bad number? >> that's not a bad number. realistically, students are p probably applying and cover their options academically, admission wise and financially with about eight schools. >> extra letters of recommendation? >> schools have very specific policies on these extra letters. one letter is fine. i think if you're going to three you're really distracting the admission officer. you want to focus their attention in a limit eed time span. >> eric furda, thank you very much. i hope you're working still at u penn when my son is coming up. you hang on a little while longer. >> all righty. valentine's day crafts, right after this. ♪ this is amazing, how did you find us? i thought we might be related, so i had a fiber analysis done and sure enough, we're family. but you're not even shredded. you're...crunchy?! that happens sometimes. and you help keep people full with whole grain fiber?

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severe liver problems, some fatal, were reported. signs include abdominal pain and yellowing skin or eyes. tell your doctor about all your medicines, including those for migraine and while on cymbalta, call right away if you have high fever, confusion and stiff muscles or serious allergic skin reactions like blisters, peeling rash, hives, or mouth sores to address possible life-threatening conditions. talk about your alcohol use, liver disease and before you reduce or stop cymbalta. dizziness or fainting may occur upon standing. take the next step. talk to your doctor. cymbalta can help. one, for making my perfect cup of coffee. one for being the perfect neighbor. and one for no reason at all. ♪

>> announcer: "today" celebrates val entien's day is brought to you by silky smooth dove chocolate promises. the first little treat for all your valentine's. >> on "today" celebrates valentine's day, last-minute gifts. soleil moon frye. let's talk about the shoes. >> all my twitter community wants to see. they're like 6 1/2, 7 inches. i'm going to try not to fall. >> yes, girl. >> willie has said if i do --

>> red bottoms for valentine's day. very nice touch. >> we've got little boxes of love here. in our house we're all about reusing. you can take cereal boxes, tissue boxes, and craft away. paint, take washy tape, which i'm really into right now. decorate like crazy. it's all about reusing and making it affordable. make valentine's day affordable and fun. >> sunny gets after t you lock like you're painting the garage there. >> i do some things. >> i love it! it's all about having fun. >> like christmas, the stockings. >> these are all things you can find in your house. this is super fun, easy, last-minute great craft ideas. write notes to your loved ones and put them in the mailbox. how cute, right? >> if we want to put something else in the box, we have our own cards. >> i'm all about nostalgia, of

course. keeping it old school here, we have our construction paper. we make our adorable valentine's. this is what i've been doing with the girls. these are like paint swatches. i always have these crazy paint samples lying around. cut-outs also. taking the funny papers or magazines, gift wrapping and making those unique. i love this idea. >> and your daughters, poet and jagger there. >> making homemade cards for school. i love this. it's fun and unique. we're eusing things from our own house. you don't have to get crazy. you can keep it affordable, which is so important. >> keep it all in the family, right? >> for looking ahead. >> i am so excited! who does not love rice crishri treats? >> get your hands in here. >> a new spin on the rice krispie treat. we're going to make a huge heart over here. such a great gift for your loved

one. it's so much fun. you are going to start molding away. >> get in there. >> you go, girl! >> i highly recommend putting your hands in water first. willie, you just have to get in here. we start molding away. you can make little hearts, big hearts and really just have fun with the kids. you can also use cookie cutters, but i like just getting in there. you know what? let's go for it. >> willie made an anatomical version. >> oh, look, your heart is beautiful. you can make them small. you can make them big. this is so fun. over here we're going to spread some chocolate on t we've got white chocolate. >> frost and decorate? >> spread it all over and frost and decorate. as it's setting, you can decorate it with all your sweethearts, sprinkles. >> perfect. >> go to town, willie. you want to help me here? >> i'm going to help you as we go to break. soleil moon frye, bringing the rice krispie treats. >> have fun. get messy! >> this is "today" on nbc.to

we spend a lot of time on the feed because a chicken is what it eats. [ jim ] this seal verifies we feed my fresh all-natural chickens an all-vegetarian diet including corn, soybeans, and marigolds. no animal by-products. no meat and bone meal. when you put my chicken on the table, you know where it came from.

this is our perdue perfect portions, five chicken breasts individually wrapped so you can use what you want, and put the rest in the refrigerator. this is something even i can cook. i am not a perfect cook, but this is a perfect meal. [ jim perdue ] we believe in a better chicken.

all right. we're downstairs in our happy valentine's "today" photo booth. dressing up like natalie and sunny here. >> jillian michaels shared this thoughts of love. she said love is my kids. >> actor josh duhamel, love is an intense feeling of deep affection. >> how about kate upton? love is my family. put simply. >> swimsuit models agree love is supporting each other no matter what. >> i think you agree with that. >> absolutely. i support that. >> all these tv stars, not really a fan of love right now?