mop invention. and melissa rivers' remarkable transformation as her late mother joan rivers. unpredictable holiday weather is never a welcome guest. christmas tree shopping in shorts? chicago's shirtless runner? >> where is your shirt, man? >> what's behind the bizarre flash of extreme weather this week? first the "nightline 5." i said i really can't stay baby it's cold outside i have to go away baby it's cold outside i really can't stay baby it's cold outside >> you never know who you'll

seconds. good even. thank you for joining us. bill cosby strikes back launching a counter lawsuit against seven of his accusers. charging them with damaging his reputation. these seven are only a fraction of the more than 50 women who have accused cosby of section assault, drugging or rape. tonight the embattled comedian tries to change the narrative. here's abc's linsey davis. >> but he had no right to do that. >> i had really no idea what was happening. >> the next thing i remember i was on the couch and he was removing my underwear. >> reporter: it's one of the big esscandals to rock hollywood this year. to date more than 50 women accusing the legendary bill cosby of sexual assault, drugging, or rain rain. today bill cosby is turning the tables saying he's the victim

women who are suing him for defamation, accusing them of making false accusations of section a salt for financial gain. >> we are now taking steps in order to right a wrong. and yes, returning and restoring mr. cosby's legacy, reputation, good name, philanthropy endeavors and career. >> reporter: the counter suit filed in massachusetts federal court claims the accusations of sexual misconduct against companies by are defamation in their own right and have tarnished companies by's reputation and career without a shred of proof. >> we recognize that there is difficulty there in finding witnesses, there's difficulty there in pulling up records, there's difficulty in doing all the things frankly that the media hasn't required these accusers to have to do. >> reporter: they claim the allegations made public in the media ruined potential deals for cosby with netflix and nbc. joe camerota represents all seven women. >> they believe they will be found to be the truth-tellers

their good name and reputation restored. >> reporter: cosby's counter suit comes after a federal judge in massachusetts refused to throw out the women's suit against him. >> bill companiesby's effectively upping the ante. saying next, okay, i'm also going to sue you. because everything that you've said about me isn't true. >> reporter: barbara bowman, named in the counter suit and one of cosby's most vocal accusers, has said she's come forward not for personal gain but to help other women. >> my goal is not to ruin him, take his livelihood away, to witch hunt him. my goal is to speak and to create a safety net for other victims. >> reporter: she and a dozen other women told their stories in a&e's documentary "cosby: the women speak" produced by abc's lincoln square productions. >> he really knew how to zero in on my insecurities and vulnerabilities. >> reporter: 1985, bowman was living in denver, a 17-year-old appearing model and actress. >> he would come to town and

and i was selected as one of the talent. >> reporter: she claims cosby manipulated her into trusting him and later drugged and sexually assaulted her multiple times. >> i had one glass of wine. the next thing i knew, i was coming to, slumped over the toilet, throwing up. and he was looming over me in a white robe. and i was in my panties and a white t-shirt. >> reporter: she says there was another incident in a hotel in atlantic city. >> he attacked me. he came after me. like a wild animal. and tried to rape me. and i was coherent enough to fight and scratch and scream and cry. and i fought so hard that he eventually just threw me away, off the bed, and he looked me square in the eye and he said, i had better never, ever hear your name or see your face again. >> reporter: bowman said she wided to a girlfriend years

>> when i went to a lawyer in '89, he laughed me out of the office. who's going to believe me? >> reporter: bowman didn't seek logical action within the statute of limitations. but over the year she's told her story to multiple media outlets, an op said entitled "bill companies by raped me, why did it take 30 years for people to believe my story?" days later cosby's team said, over the past several weeks discredited allegations against bill crosby have resurfaced. the fact that they're being repeated does not make them true. mr. cosby does not intend to dignify these allegations with any comment. statements like this are at the core of the defamation case. each of the seven accusers' allegations against cosby disputed by his representatives, opening the door for legal action in the first place. >> these paragraphs are suing bill companies by not for the actions themselves, they're getting creative here and saying, we get it but we're still going to sue him for

representatives said about us. >> reporter: cosby has never been charged with a crime in regard to any of the accusations lodged against him. and his attorneys have said he denies all allegations. in today's new filing he specifically denies that the statements he or his representatives made about any of the seven women were defamatory, adding that their accusations caused him shame and motorfication. >> and he was behind me having sex with me. >> reporter: terese, named in the counter suit, spoke to abc in 2014. she says she was 19 years old when cosby allegedly drugged and raped her in a las vegas dressing room after a show. but she was too intimidated to report it tet. >> i was sorry all my life that i wasn't more powerful. i'm sorry i put myself in circumstances where i should have known better. >> reporter: the circumstances of her relationship with cosby are complicated. she admits she continued to see him socially and may have had

was never consensual. >> i never was an active participant in any section sexual intercourse with him. >> reporter: she says she's not interested in seeing cosby go to prison. the statute of limitations have long expired. but by coming forward she hopes cosby is held accountable. >> i'm not a punishing kind of person. i have been sorry for 38 years. and now it's time for him to be sorry. >> reporter: today's counter suit cites cosby's work as a philanthropist and comedian saying cosby prides himself in the legacy and reputation he's earned throughout his life. but many of his accusers say it's precisely that on and off-camera reputation as america's dad, the wholesome cliff huxtable on "the cosby show," which made so it hard for them to come forward. >> he's dr. huxtable, america's favorite dad. >> reporter: attorney gloria allred, who represents 26 of the more than 50 women who have come forward are released a statement

tactic will not deter courageous women from fighting the battle against him. cosby's legal action comes amid a half dozen other legal battles with other accusers and on the same way boston university announced it's revoking his honorary degree, one of the more than dozen institutes to do so in the past year. >> you have to believe that bill companies cosby isn't doing it because he wants to win money from these women. you have to believe bill cosby's doing it to try to get his reputation back. >> reporter: according to his attorney companies by is seeking compensatory and punitive damages and it's fair to say there may be more of these def nation lawsuits filed on cosby's behalf in the future. >> the problem with filing this lawsuit now is when it comes to the court of public opinion, this lawsuit may be way too late for bill cosby. >> reporter: for "nightline," i'm linsey davis in new york. next, she took the world by surprise in "the hunger games." now jennifer lawrence is trading

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the all-star team that brought us "silver linings playbook" is back together. bradley cooper, jennifer lawyer rence, robert de niro combine forces again. what's the moment cooper says he bonded with lawrence? here's "20/20" coanchor elizabeth vargas.

>> reporter: in "joy" jennifer reunites with her "silver linings playbook" and "american hustle" costars bradley cop cooper and robert de niro playing the woman who invented the miracle mop. >> all races and all classes can meet and make whatever opportunities they can. >> a lot of people have talked about the fact that so many of you who have worked so many times together now have a special chemistry. david, what sit? what sit that bradley and jennifer have? >> when we met her she was 20 years old. she had not had "unhunger games" yet. she asked robert de niro what it was like to be recognized on the street. >> i asked cooper. about tabloids. the tabloids say you're dating j. lo, is that true? >> well? >> i do remember that.

>> reporter: it's loosely based on the rags to riches s mega inventor, business mogul, home shopping superstar. >> i don't go through a single day of my life without using this product. >> reporter: edgar ramirez plays joy's ex-husband who lives in her basement. julia madsen plays her mother. >> you're like a gas leak. we don't smell you, don't see you, but you're killing us all. >> how many of you met joy? >> we all did. >> what did you think of her? >> awesome. >> fantastic. >> she's amazing. she really inspired david and i both with joy's energy. she just has this very calm, strong, very kind, very maternal, strength. and it inspired both of us. we were really impressed by her. >> jimmy: joy worked with zone rivers at qvc. in the movie melissa rivers make

>> you look great, good luck today. >> reporter: alongside robert de niro's daughter drina. >> robert's daughter, who's completely transformed, she and melissa rivers, daughter of joan rivers, could have gone for an hour, we were mesmerized by them. >> in the film the seen with joan rivers, with melissa playing her mom, definitely pulled a heart string in me for sure. >> reporter: bradley cooper plays neil walker, the qvc executive who gives joy her big break selling the miracle mop on live television. >> do you know what qvc stands for, joy? >> no, i don't. >> quality, value, convenience. >> i'm curious, as actors do you know you have that chemistry? >> yes. >> do you only see it -- yes? >> yeah, i was just thinking about when he was talking. like yeah, what sit like when i'm with you, i feel very safe. >> safe? >> i feel like i can turn my brain off as an actor and

guess is the word. >> david made us a bizarre kind of form of siblings in a way. >> really? >> i think going through -- having to learn that dance routine. >> you're right. >> we didn't know each other at all. >> "silver linings playbook." >> i think that had a lot to do with it. >> reporter: robert de niro is joy's father. >> he has no place else to go. he's been living in my house two years. >> dad, i'm so sorry. tony's living in the basement. >> your ex-husband shouldn't be living in your basement. that's not the proper way to be divorced. >> well, he's a loving father. i think he's -- i guess we were talking about this -- he's a romantic. it's a family, you don't know what the hell's going on, who's what, why, the reasons, you have to learn to forgive. maybe you don't forgive certain bad behavior. and that's my situation with her. >> you encourage her but at the same time you shut her down. >> yeah, exactly. exactly. >> it's painful sometimes to watch.

you're thinking, ouch. >> yeah, exactly. yeah, yeah. >> i was valedictorian in high school. i got into a fancy college. i stayed here because my parents are getting divorced. >> reporter: it's no wonder russell cast lawrence in his very first film with a female lead. >> a doctor, a lawyer, a nice man instead of this -- i don't know what to call this guy. >> are you seriously talking about this right now? >> we have to do it in a new way. had to be quite. quiet fierceness. which many people have said is more powerful, first role we've done where she's not crazy. >> reporter: the real joy approves. >> i never had a doubt. not 1 minute did i ever have a doubt he was going to do something amazing. having jennifer play the role of joy, it doesn't get better than that. >> reporter: lawrence dug deep for the role, even learning a little spanish from costar edgar ramirez. [ speaking spanish ] >> how'd she do in spanish. >> she's great. >> really great teacher.

>> reporter: as joy's depressed mother, virginia madsen's character forces joy to be the de facto matriarch. >> i feel so much better about being with -- >> don't answer that. >> there's no such thing as a normal family. all families are eccentric. all families are a little dysfunctional. >> reporter: mangano may have served as the film's executive producer but the inside scoop on home shopping came from one unlikely shopper. >> bradley cooper's mother was an unofficial consultant on the picture because she religiously watched the show. this was a precursor of the internet, of 24 hour -- >> she ordered a couple of products the other day. >> your mom's a big qvc shopper? >> massive. >> she told me why she loves spokes models. they were the only people she could stay up all night watching. >> have any of you ever bought anything on qvc? >> cooper -- cooper's mother -- >> i tried but i forgot i tivo'd the episode i was watching, so it wasn't live.

term tivo, which makes you as old as me. >> you tivo'd qvc? >> when i wanted to watch joy. >> reporter: david o'russell's golden globe nominations. >> she should be in a skirt, she's got long legs. >> joan rivers wants me in a skirt, i want pants. >> you've been nominated for a golden globe, best actress. amy schumer, one of your best friends, said you're going down. >> i hope i am. i want to see that sweet little ass up on that stage. i'm trying to organize us wearing the same exact thing. that's my dream. >> you going to root for her, for you? >> we're both rooting for her. >> reporter: for "nightline," i'm elizabeth vargas in new york city. >> "joy" hits theaters christmas day. and next, what's behind the

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finally tonight, what's up with the weather? it's a question heard round the country these days. rain and snow out west, it's beginning to feel a lot like spring on the east coast. abc's geo benitez explains. >> reporter: if you were dreaming of an idyllic white christmas -- i'm dreaming of a white christmas . >> reporter: you may be out of luck. over the weekend in new york, high temperatures were right around average. for the month of may. holiday shoppers picked out christmas trees in shorts.

the middle of a buffalo blizzard. the temperature right now, it feels like 1 degree. and behind me, that is a car. completely buried in snow. and take a look at this spot right now, no snow. in fact, buffalo hit a record high today of 71 degrees. on december 14 the. in which i, the shirtless runner who turned heads and went viral, with a little help from wgn-tv. >> i love running in the rain. and i'm also single. >> reporter: this month over 1,000 high temperature records have been tied or broken across the country. the cause? experts say the band of cold air around the arctic called the arc tig oscillation has stayed near the north pole, keeping the cold at bay for much of the u.s. in some places it's a different kind of extreme. over the weekend, bellemont, arizona, took the prize as the coldest place in the lower 48. a whiteout in kansas. in texas, tornados. this winter is predicted to be

don't put away your coats. there's likely an arctic blast or two around the corner. for "nightline," geo benitez in buffalo, new york. >> it was novelist jen mcclurery who said, if it weren't for the weather 90% of humans wouldn't know how to start a conversation. tune into "good morning america" first thing tomorrow. as always we're online 24/7 on our "nightline" took page and abcnews.com. good night, america. it seems today that all you see