Ed Bark

AP file

NBC's new 'Today' lineup, including (from left) Ann Curry, Matt Lauer, Meredith Vieira and Al Roker.

She's an admitted lousy cook. Her longtime nickname is TuTu LaRue. And she gobbed a glob of cake frosting on Matt Lauer's nose.

All hail Meredith Vieira's arrival on NBC's Today, which also went to high-definition Wednesday on a new indoor set. Playful, self-deprecating and quick on the trigger, she's a needed espresso jolt to the Peacock network's 54-year-old morning institution.

"I feel as if it's the first day of school and I'm sitting next to the cutest guy," she said after Mr. Lauer officially welcomed her as Today's heir to Katie Couric.

"I'm going to be the 'broad' in broadcasting, OK," she soon ad libbed. Now, now. Wonder what NOW might think.

Ms. Vieira, who left ABC's The View after a nine-year run, is almost as irreverent as venerable Willard Scott, who doesn't much care what he says anymore. Mr. Scott and longtime film critic Gene Shalit dropped in for a few minutes to help consecrate Ms. Vieira's debut.

"You look like a million," Mr. Shalit told her.

"Actually, $14 million," said Mr. Scott, adding to his latter-day repertoire of cringe-worthy moments.

Mr. Lauer looked pretty impressive, too, in a People magazine shot that caught him bare-chested at the beach. Even President Bush brandished it during Mr. Lauer's recent White House interview.

"He's turned on by your abs, honey," Ms. Vieira jabbed.

An inventive taped segment was easier to stomach. It took Ms. Vieira through her varied TV career, which also has braked for stops at CBS' 60 Minutes and West 57th news magazines, and the network's long-struggling morning show. For the big finish, she tossed her hat on high in a redo of The Mary Tyler Moore Show's famed opening credits. Nice.

Ms. Vieira's TuTu LaRue tag dates to high school, and her frosting of Mr. Lauer outbreak came during a cake-decorating competition tied to Wednesday's climactic "Today Throws a Wedding" segment.

"Did you have to choose the largest feature on my face?" he asked before vowing revenge. It made for "good television," though, so Today repeated it twice.

The newcomer also was feted with big welcome signs atop NBC's 30 Rockefeller Center building and on a blimp.

"I thought I was the blimp," said Ms. Vieira, prompting jolly weatherman Al Roker to rejoin, "Next half-hour, spanking machines."

"Whoa, now you're talking!" she enthused.

This otherwise is pretty serious business. Today remains No. 1 in the lucrative network morning show ratings, and likely won't suffer any shortfalls with live-wire Ms. Vieira on the job. She wore black on white during her first day, a mirror opposite of Ms. Couric's attire on last week's re-launch of the CBS Evening News.

Both women are more important to their networks right now than any male you could name. That's the real black-and-white of it.

E-mail ebark@dallasnews.com