[ cheers and applause ] >> jimmy: onerepublic album comes out march 26th. you can see a bonus song. >> jimmy: i want to thank ellen degeneres, sean lowe, apologies to matt damon, we ran out of time. tomorrow night, rob lowe, bryce harper and music from big boi. thank you for watching. good night.

tonight online lion under a state of emergency we spend 48 hours inside boston's hardest hit emergency rooms. children, parents and doctors are fighting a raging flu outbreak. shrink that bill. want to pay less but keep talking? our phone company insider has secret tips and he saved this family over $1,000. and it may have won big at the golden globes but "argo" is sparking international backlash. iran is making their own version of the hostage drama.

>> from new york city this is

"nightline" with bill weir. >> the country is in the midst of one of the worst flu seasons in recent memory with 47 states reporting widespread cases. boston is struggling to manage the sheer number of patients and lindsay davis spent 48 hours with the doctors and patients in boston's emergency rooms. >> fevers as well? >> on and off, yeah. not any higher than 102. >> reporter: cassie looks how many in boston feel. this two-year-old is in boston children's hospital emergency room. >> she's a toddler with a cold. she'll kick it soon but it has gotten really bad. >> reporter: dr. ann steck recognizes the symptoms. >> i think it's influenza

because of the high fever and cough. >> reporter: cassie was born prematurely putting her in the highest risk category for serious complications and she is in a city under siege. where the mayor has declared a public health emergency in the midst of this contagious and fast-moving flu. >> this flu seems to have just spread really rapidly through large numbers of people. there are so many more people with it. >> reporter: so "nightline" spent the next 48 hours documenting this city in crisis. witnessing firsthand the human toll of the outbreak. children -- i've been throwing up and stuff. >> reporter: parents -- >> he's just not better. >> reporter: and health workers with the flu. we met those who have caught it. >> this is the flu. that's what you got. >> oh, my god. >> reporter: and those trying to

avoid it. >> how was that? >> reporter: nationwide the flu has sickened thousands and killed at least 20 children. >> there we go. >> reporter: doctors don't waste any time treating cassie. they admit her immediately and they have company, a lot of it, kids with sniffles, fevers and coughs in every room. >> we are at full capacity. the hospital is completely full. >> reporter: all of boston's world famous hospitals are operating in overdrive. 750 confirmed cases this season. a ten-fold increase from this time last year. >> how crazy is it right now? >> this is my 20th winter i don't remember seeing anything like this in 20 years. >> reporter: at mass general, there were 72 confirmed cases last week alone.

shane wells fears his chills, sweats and his cough means he is another one of boston's latest statistics. >> why did you come to the hospital? >> trying to get back to work. >> reporter: shane has a temperature of 104 degrees and has been out of work for four days. >> costing me financially and enough time and maybe my job. >> reporter: shane is tested for the flu. and the results are back in just ten minutes. >> we have a red line above the blue line which indications that the person has flu. >> reporter: it's positive but there's not much doctors can do for him. he is past the 48 hour window when medication could have treated the virus effectively. >> wear the mask in public and try to keep yourself away from people washing your hands all the time. >> reporter: shane is sent home. meanwhile four miles away at

children's hospital, cassie needs chest x-rays, her lungs full of mucus. >> i want her to get better. >> reporter: because she is dehydrated with low blood oxygen she has to stay in the hospital overnight. it's going to be a long night for her mom. >> hi jason. >> reporter: just down the hall is kayson page born with congenital heart disease. the flu can be a matter of life and death. >> the main thing that worries me is how many deaths have happened from it. i don't want him to be number 19 or whatever. >> reporter: he was discharged yesterday but after repeat vomiting his parents bring him back to the e.r. an exhausting and scary process. >> he gets sick off a simple cold or something like that and i don't want to know what the flu would do to him.

>> reporter: at brigham and women's hospital. >> do you feel out of breath? >> reporter: at 1:00 in the afternoon, this section of the e.r. has seen eight flu patients. >> have you had troubles with your bowels before? >> reporter: dr. walls pays attention a elderly patients who are at high risk. 18 people have died from the flu in massachusetts. the best way to protect yourself? >> get a flu shot. >> reporter: just six miles away at the east boston neighborhood health center people are taking that advice to heart. >> there have been four episodes of children sick at the school. i don't want them to catch it. if it's a flu shot and vitamin c they will be great. >> reporter: they have given out 20,000 flu shots this season. >> we don't usually have to do big clinics like this. but when there is a need like this year when the flu is severe

we want to vaccinate people we are happy to do this. >> what do you think, little lady? >> reporter: the next day we caught up with cassie still at children's hospital now in intensive care. she had the mucus drained from her lungs and starting to improve. >> things are headed in the right direction. you know, only time will tell in terms of whether we go home monday, tuesday. we'll be happy to have her home. >> reporter: but what a difference a day makes for shane wells who felt awful as he was discharged 24 hours ago. >> feeling a lot better. got my energy back and i pretty much feel, you know, 80%. >> reporter: the biggest relief for shane? >> i think i'll be all right to go back to work tomorrow. >> reporter: and a decline in admissions over the weekend suggests things are look up in this city that is sick and tired of being sick.

i'm lindsay davis for "nightline" in boston. >> coming up next, the tricks of the trade that helped this family save over 1,000 bucks on their cell phone bill. >> abc news "nightline" brought to you by expedia. [ female announcer ] going to sleep may be easy, but when you wake up in the middle of the night it can be frustrating. it's hard to turn off and go back to sleep. intermezzo is the first and only prescription sleep aid approved for use as needed in the middle of the night when you can't get back to sleep.

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talk is cheap. unless you have unwittingly signed on the a cell phone plan that turns every bill opening into a monthly chest grabber and it will make you grumpier when

you learn that $52 billion of what we spend is unnecessary waste. but he has insider tips that could save you serious coin. here's abc's paula farris for our series "easy money." >> reporter: phil doesn't see his daughters enough. he splits his time with his ex and he said that cell phones are the next best thing. >> are you going to hug me? >> thanks. >> all right, dad. love you too. >> reporter: who has a cell phone? phil is paying for three phones including his mom and oldest daughter. >> the bill is $311 right now. >> do you think you are paying too much? >> it's rough. what people pay for their cars. that's what i pay for my cell

phone. >> reporter: a bill weighed down by text and data. >> how often do you instagram. >> every two hours. >> reporter: but his mobile plan ensures that moments like this can happen. >> yeah! >> great job, ava. >> how important is that for you? >> it's important because sometimes i have bad days and then usually he's the one that i call. and we goof around a lot on face time. >> reporter: we're going to cut down the cost without cutting down on family time. >> when i see the bill i'm not happy about it. >> reporter: enter our insider who is spilling the secret of his former life. he left verizon to found save love give.com. >> there are about $52 billion

of waste. >> reporter: we pull phil's bill to the test finding tons of overspending. >> it's hard to pay attention to every detail. >> reporter: tip number one let free websites figure it out for you. on todd's site make sure your plan is a perfect fit. all you have to do is plug in your phone number. >> we go out and grab your bill. we look at the usage and the charges and compare it to what is available. >> reporter: phil was buying 8 gigabytes and using 2.5 and by bundling talking and texting he could save big. look at phil's face finding out he could save nearly $1200 a year. tip number two look for sneaky charges like horoscope texts and 411. >> this is an interesting charge for $2. >> reporter: those tiny charges can be added to your bill by

third party companies without your knowledge. it's an average of $5 a month. >> reporter: get your discount. many companies provide discounts, teachers, government workers and students qualify. but you have to ask for it. >> but his company was bought by ibm. they have a 23, 24, 25% discount. >> reporter: that is $200 a year by typing in his work address on his carrier's website. avoid any unnecessary fee. any fee are negotiable. >> you have a set billing fee and spent six grand you want to hit me with 35 bucks? >> reporter: and a loophole to early termination fees. carrier will let you out of your contract if you lose your job or live where you don't have coverage. you can change your plan without renewing your contract. >> those rules stopped a long time ago. changing the plan doesn't

trigger those contract changes any more. but again -- >> they used to. >> yes. >> reporter: now phil just has to switch plans online, on the phone or in the store. >> reporter: watch phil put the tips to the test. >> that won't extend your contract? and no. >> reporter: but it will put $1368 back in phil's pocket this year. >> two ways to get to face time. >> reporter: i'm paula farris in massachusetts. >> just ahead from golden globe winner to international agitator. why "argo" has inspired iran to make its own version of the hostage thriller. and save your money.you , joe doesn't know it yet, but he'll work his way up from busser to waiter to chef before opening a restaurant specializing in fish and game from the great northwest.

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that's night the ben affleck-directed drama "argo" threw a wrench in golden globe office pools to win best drama. while it won the hearts and minds of the hollywood foreign press association the iranian government is planning a big-screen response. here's abc's nick watt. >> and the golden globe goes to ben affleck, "argo." >> reporter: the best direct over the year. everyone loves "argo." seven nominations, $110 million in ticket sales. >> it's wildly entertaining. i like this movie very much. >> reporter: but some brits

don't love "argo." in the movie they say their ambassador turned away the americans on the run. my first reaction was outrage. i have since simmered down, he adds in a british fashion. and canadians don't love "argo" either. their ambassador was reduced to a bit part player. they made a tv movie called "escape from iran" the canadian caper. now bold ben previewed "argo" in toronto. he got steak and amended the postscript caption to give canada a little more credit. and in iran they don't like "argo" at all. it's banned and they claim the great satan gave away tickets to fill theaters for this quote,

ahistoric work of propaganda. the government green lit a different version of the events. the movie entitled "the general staff" will be released. ben affleck has spurned a diplomatic brouhaha. i think this is a tremendous badge of honor. so why and iran so offended? first of all, iran has a rich history of slow-moving allegorical cinematic masterpieces. >> the rule is don't be boring and entertain your audience. those are the rules. i tell my students don't believe

movies. >> reporter: al qaeda could remake "zero dark thirty" osama bin laden gets away at the end. good luck to them. affleck took some liberties. that's fine. >> there was a movie called "we bought a zoo" it's based on a true story. the only part that is true is a guy who bought a zoo. it's called dramatic license. >> reporter: and the iranians are no stranger to dramatic license. this is an intelligent minister cartoon showing john mccain in the white house trying to stir pan iranian revolution. they understand bending the truth. do they think that affleck was mocking their president but looking like him? i'm being silly. the problem is that history is usual written and movies usually

made by the victor. but what happened in 1979 when the americans stormed the embassy that still ain't over. the iranians take this too seriously. >> for the american movie telling a story from an american point of view. >> a real movie "argo" about a fake movie "argo" is being remade because the iranians say the real movie about the fake movie isn't true. you couldn't make this stuff up. actually you could. it would be a great movie. i'm nick watt for "nightline" in hollywood. >> you can teach a rhesus monkey to be a director. this morning robin roberts appeared on good morning america to share exciting news. >> i can begin the process of returning to the anchor chair. i'm coming