holding you in my hand and seeing as you'd see no love without freedom ♪ ♪ no love without freedom no love without freedom no freedom without love no freedom without love ♪ no freedom without love ♪ [ cheers and applause ] >> jimmy: i want to thank michael strahan, miles teller. and tummy talk. apologies to matt damon, we ran out of time. tomorrow night -- kelly ripa, elon musk and music from the mowglis. thanks for watching.

"nightline" is next. this is the cd -- "girl who got away" comes out march 26th, playing us off the air with "white flag" -- see the full performance at jimmykimmellive.com. once again, dido! good night! ♪ ♪ i know you think that i shouldn't still love you or tell you that but if i didn't say it ♪ ♪ well i'd still have felt it where's the sense in that i promise i'm not trying to make your life harder ♪ ♪ or return to where we were i will go down with this ship and i won't put my hands up and surrender ♪ ♪ there will be no

white flag above my door >> announcer: tonight on "nightline." fatal attraction? the bombshell testimony as accused murderer jodi arias tearfully accounts what happened the day she shot, stabbed and slashed her one-time boyfriend. the turn in a tale of sex, lies and deviance. inside a war zone. our terry moran reports from battle torn syria as air strikes rock the suburbs and the violence threatens to boil over in the middle east. and with just four days until the 85th academy award, we stack up, the young, old, record holders and record breakers. it's oscars by the numbers. >> announcer: keep it right

>> announcer: from new york city, this is "nightline" with bill weir. today brought a cliffhanger moment in a murder trial full of twists and turns. jodi arias, the arizona woman facing death row for shooting, stabbing and slashing her one time boyfriend. tearfully told the court she acted in self defense and she can't remember everything that happened that fateful night. here is abc's ryan owens for our series "crime and punishment." >> the gun went off. i didn't mean to shoot him or anything i didn't even think i was holding the trigger. >> reporter: from the mouth of a killer. today the jury heard jodi arias' version of what happened the day she took these pictures of her ex-boyfriend travis alexander in the shower. >> i am taking pictures of him.

weep were trying out different poses. it was a little weird the background wasn't that great, the water was okay. >> reporter: and second later, butchered the mormon businessman in the bathroom of his mesa home. she dropped alexander's camera. he flew into a rage. >> i was crouching, he lifted me up, screaming i was a stupid idiot the he body slammed me on the trial. >> reporter: she claims she ran into his closet and grabbed his gun. >> i ran out of the closet. he was chasing me. i turned around. we were in the middle of the bathroom. i pointed it at him with both hand. i thought that would stop him. he kept rung. i was pointing it at him. i didn't even know that i shot him. it just went off. >> reporter: remember on june 4, 2008, her 30-year-old former boyfriend wasn't just shot in the head he was stabbed 27 times including nine in the back. and his throat was slit nearly to the point of decapitation.

>> there is a lot of that day i don't remember. there are a lot of gaps. >> reporter: that's right, the woman who spent eight days on the stand recounting details from nearly a decade ago. >> i am kind of like, one day at titime kind of person. which i didn't really, he was from southern california. most people like the chargers in that area. >> reporter: with an almost photographic memory draws a blank on the crime. >> what do you remember? >> almost nothing for a long time. there are some things that have come back over years. but nothing, i don't know if those are things i am thinking of from before or -- if it is that day -- it's confusing. there is like a huge gap. like i don't know if i blacked out or what. >> reporter: yesterday on the stand, she spent hours detailing her sordid sex life with the victim. >> he pressed his groin against me. >> okay. against your buttocks?

>> yes. >> reporter: today she breezed through his brutal killing in less than a half-hour. >> i just couldn't believe what happened. i couldn't take anything back what had just happened. it was like -- i couldn't rewind the clock. >> reporter: travis alexander's family sat stunned listening to her story of self defense. >> the most clear memory i have after that point is driving in the desert. >> she remembers so much and yet when it comes to the most important thing in this case, which is how did he end up with his throat slashed, she can't tell you. doesn't remember. >> i have no memory of stabbing him. >> claiming you have a selectively photographic memory is a tough sell to a jury. >> reporter: the prosecutor says her story on the stand is just one more fabrication. he will get his chance to cross-examine arias beginning in

the morning. expect fireworks. he says she murdered her ex in a jealous rage, planned every detail and lied to cover her tracks. the prosecutor played these interrogation tapes from right after her arrest. first she told the detective, she wasn't there. >> if travis were here today he would tell you it wasn't me. >> reporter: then she was there when two intruders broke in and slaughtered alexander in front of her but spared her life. >> i was just going through the pictures. i heard this ring. >> reporter: jodi arias' web of lies led some to call her a monster who will say anything to save her skin. >> she is not a monster. she is a loving, caring, intelligent, articulate, funny person. >> reporter: ann campbell and donovan baring are friend of jodi arias'. they talk to and visit her in jail almost daily. they say the young woman who within a jail house christmas carolling contest is just as

sweet as her voice. ♪ when christ was born >> it had to be something terrible for her to snap. because in the 4 1/2 yaerz i visited her. i have never seen her get angry, lose her temper. >> she is horrified. there is not one ounce of her life that is not out there, that is not open to the public. it is humiliating. >> reporter: donovan in court nearly every day met arias in jail. she was there for being an accessory to arson. she and ann say they have received death threat for supporting their friend. i know this is a difficult question to answer as her friend, what do you think should happen to her? >> well as a friend. i don't want to see her get the death penalty, don't want to see her lose her life, don't want to see her die. >> reporter: of course that is not up to her. jodi arias' fate rests in the hand of an arizona jury. a few years ago, arias told the show inside edition, she isn't worried. >> no jury will convict me. >> reporter: why not? >> i am innocent.

no jury will convict me. >> reporter: the jury has seen that clip and now heard her version of what happened the day she killed her ex-boyfriend. >> he is grabbing at my clothes. i got up. he is screaming, angry. and after i broke away from him, he's -- [ bleep ] kill you -- >> reporter: at least the little she says she can remember. i am ryan owens for "nightline" in phoenix. just ahead, inside the heart of a brutal conflict. my co-anchor terry moran reports from an ancient city under siege as the violence threatens to ignite an entire region. >> announcer: abc news "nightline," brought to you by red lobster. the bar harbor bake is really worth trying. [ male announcer ] get more during red lobster's lobsterfest. with the year's largest selection of mouth-watering lobster entrees. like our delicious lobster lover's dream, featuring two kinds of succulent lobster tails. or our savory, new grilled maine lobster and lobster tacos. it's back, but not for long.

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it began as a peaceful protest against the president of syria. his response, brutal. now after two years of civil war, this nation with a population roughly the size of texas has seen as many as 70,000 killed and over 1 million refugees displaced. as the violence threatens to boil over into a region already destablized by the arab spring, international concern is rapidly growing. co-anchor terry moran is on the ground in the embattled city of damascus to night to bring us this look inside syria. >> reporter: bill we have come to damascus at just about the same time the civil war has arrived here. you can feel it in the fabric of life, fear, anxiety for sure. most especially several times an hour day and night the boom of the government's big artillery

guns on the hills around town firing into rebel positions in the suburbs just a mile or two away. and it is strange to think every time you hear that sound that it is raining death on people not very far away. and every once in a while, and more and more, death comes the other way. war time damascus seems almost normal sometimes. >> thank you. >> reporter: you can still stroll through the ancient market where bewildering variety of good are sold and where the merchants hock their wares with disarming enthusiasm. but the war is never very far away. as we saw today. so we have just gotten word that three mortar round have landed in the center of damascus. reports of casualty thousands. we are on our way to check it out. this is something that happens every day in this city. we arrive and find a place where

visiting sports teams stay. blood on the walls. blood on the floors. a 19-year-old soccer player was killed. his teammate was in the room. he tells me his friend had just spoken to his wife on the phone when the shell landed shattering windows scattering shrapnel slicing into the neck of his friend. we are all just athletes, he tells me, we have nothing to do with this violence. damascus is one of the oldest cities in the world and it has seen countless wars in its 5,000-year history. now in the 21st century, the grim tide is here again. today in the suburb of hamaria, 20 killed in an apparent air strike by syrian government forces. the latest horror in the civil war that is tearing this country apart. we drove here three days ago from beirut, lebanon, on a highway that has become a life line as rebel forces attack damascus.

it is a fight to the death. so we have been brought to the military hospital here in damascus. we are going to meet a high-ranking officer who was badly wounded in a battle just south of the city. his name is general ibrahim, both legs are shot up. but he is defiant. he tells me he wants to get back to the fight. i ask him about the allegations that his troops are massacring syrian civilians. this is a false accusation, he says. had it come done to me, i would have adopted a scorched earth policy with these armed men. this man lost his leg. but he too says he will fight again. it is a dirty war and though it is far away america can't ignore it. the map shows why. the chaos engulfing syria threatens to spill over into iraq on one side, israel/lebanon on the other and nato ally turkey in the north. a nightmare scenario for the u.s. for syrian civilians the

nightmare is here. jihadist fighters funded by u.s. allies, saudi arabia and other persian gulf states are warming into this country. threatening to turn the conflict into a holy war. and syria an incredibly diverse nation of muslims, christians, kurds and many more could totally disintegrate. we met the grand leader of syria today, and staunch ally of assad. he blames his country's suffering on american support for the rebels. the americans, he tell me, live up to your values. in some way the values of the people of damascus aren't that different. they enjoy good food as we did with new friend at lunch downtown. the commuters fight rush hour traffic to get home to their families. look at this place. the merchants hustle to make a buck or a syrian pound. >> thank you. >> thank you. >> reporter: in the

1,200-year-old mosque one of the grandest in the word, the people come to find the peace and truth of prayer. they have so much to lose here. this is an existential fight for the people of damascus. for the people of syria. most of them just want someone to step forward and make the peace. but after so much blood has been shed, so much hatred and sectarianism loosed on the land, the real fear people have is that their country will never be the same. bill. >> terry, we look forward to more of your reporting there. stay safe. just ahead, as the countdown to the oscars heats up we are bringing you all the fun facts, celebrity stats, you should know by sunday. apply to the underarm. t, the one you axiron is not for use in women or anyone younger than 18. axiron can transfer to others through direct contact. women, especially those who are or who may become pregnant, and children should avoid contact where axiron is applied as unexpected signs of puberty in children or changes

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from high stakes office pools to last minute box office crams, the big night is only four days away. oscar mania reaching critical mass. tonight dusting off the record books to bring you a look at the last eight decades of the academy awards. >> it's been 84 years. >> close, gloria stewart, academy's oldest ever nominee. this is the 85th year of the oscars. by the end of the night sunday one of nine films will be named 85th best picture. maybe. in 2002, "a beautiful mind" wasn't handed the oscar until 1:00 a.m. eastern, 4:23 after the show began. if you think that's long, in 1968, the academy awarded best foreign language oscar to "war and peace" the novel turned film

ran nearly 7 hours long. you can see the shortest best picture winner "marty" almost five times in the same stretch. speaking of short, sunday's pint-sized best actress nominee, stood 3 feet tall when she shot "beasts of the southern wild" less than three times the height of the statue. on the flip side, two-time winner daniel day-lewis stand 6'2" playing the slightly taller 16th president. tallest best actor winner the duke, john wayne, over 6'4", not counting the hat. this year lincoln lead the pack with 12 noms, two shy of "titanic." that doesn't mean it is a shoo-in for best picture. most nominated wins best picture 67% of the time. no actor has ever within for playing a president. how do you get the edge? well being part of hollywood's first family doesn't hurt. no, not that one. this one. the coppolas, with roman's nod

for writing "moon rise kingdom" six members of the family received 24 nominations and eight wins. how will the numbers finally stack up? will riva win her first oscar at 85, or the first at just 9? can ultralow budget beasts beat budget buster pi? will denzel win his second at best actor? spielberg third for director? or john williams' sixth for musical score? for that know these numbers. 85, 7, 4. because the 85th annual academy award airs sunday, 7 in the east, 4 in the west. only on abc. and finally, this morning was a very special one for abc family as robin roberts wished all of us good morning, america, from the anchor dex for the first time in 174 dates. to celebrate her triumphant return here is co-anchor josh

elliott. >> it is robin. i have been waiting 174 days to say this -- good morning, america. >> reporter: it was the welcome home party five long months in the making. this morning, robin roberts returned to her "good morning america" anchor chair after having had a bone marrow transplant last september. >> i keep pinching myself. i realize this is real. this is actually happening. >> she returned to a hero's welcome with messages of support pouring in from across the country. >> good morning, america, welcome back robin. >> from all of her friend on team robin. >> welcome back, robin! >> we are all very happy to see you back in the morning. >> so good to have you back. i love you. >> a day of celebration after an arduous trek that began last june when she first told us. >> it is something that is called mds, myeloplastic syndrome. >> reporter: rare form of blood cancer and she would take medical leave from "good morning america" to ree