tonight on "nightline," l.a. confidential. as dr. conrad murray negotiates his surrender to face charges in the death of michael jackson, we look at the high profile circus and stars of celebrity justice. so, does law and order favor the famous? restoring a nation. president bill clinton surveys haiti's devastated quake zone. and my coanchor cynthia mcfadden there is for an exclusive interview. plus, covered in snow. canceled flights, car accidents, and this walloping has just begun. as a powerful storm threatens a record snowfall, how should you prepare for this weekend's winter blast?

>> announcer: from the global resources of abc news, with terry moran, martin bashir and cynthia mcfadden in new york city, this is "nightline," february 5th, 2010. >> good evening. it's now more than seven months since michael jackson's death, and the man many believe to be responsible has yet to be charged with any offense. but that's likely to change on monday, when dr. conrad murray is expected to saturday render to the authorities. and then, another so-called celebrity trial. of course, hollywood is well practiced in these matters, from o.j. simpson to phil spector. but is justice served when the subject is so tape mouse? chris connelly now reports. >> reporter: as if in hodgeage to the greatest dancer of his generation, the l.a. district attorney's office and lawyers for michael jackson's dr. conrad murray continue their own legal foxtrot today. more than seven months after

jackson's death. >> it seems like the d.a.'s office, they are in no hurry to do anything. they are sort of taking their sweet time, but the public is demanding that something be done. >> reporter: plans for murray to surrender to police today and be charged with unvoluntary manslaughter in jackson's death, came apart, allege dlil over whether murray would be allowed to post bail and avoid a day in jail. a slated press conference from the defense was abruptly called off. >> they say no, not today. >> he's trying to make an appointment to surrender. right away it's very strange and curl use to all that's going on, and that's what happens in high profile cases. they just do tend to take a life of their own. >> reporter: the d.a. now plans to charge murray on monday, and if he doesn't surrender, he will be arrested. any subsequent prosecution seems likely to take its place in the

an names of california legal lore, where high profile legal cases have not only involved celebrities, but created them. from phil spack or the's supportive wife, who crafted the star's courtroom hair do. from o.j. simpson house guest kato kaelin, a mid '90s version of the famous for being famous celebrity, to this man, the late robert kardashian, a simpson friend, reading simpson's note as he drove his white bronco across l.a. it would be america's first introduction to the kardashian family. 16 years later, his daughters kim and khloe hold huge sway on hollywood red carpets. each of them, somehow issues forth from a high profile l.a. legal case. now days, even jurors can

imagine a big trial taking them to the big time. >> i do think that it starts to infact the process and i believe that jurors are thinking exactly that in the back of their mind. at the conclusion of this case, i get to sit down with an anchor woman and tell mill stomy story. that clear lip has now cooped into the process. >> thank you, your honor. >> phillip spector, you are charged. >> reporter: cameras in the courtroom, and america's true crime obsession, have fueled the fascination. mark geragos has represented jackson, winona ryder and chris brown. >> every time i've been through one of these, i say to myself, well, it can't get any crazier than this, and the next time, it does. >> i want to thank all of my patients and friends. >> reporter: while dr. murray has become a figure of public interest, there's something quite different about this celebrity trial.

♪ >> this case is a little stranger than the typical celebrity case, because the celebrity is dead. how ironic it is that the last great huge megacelebrity trial was when the victim, michael jackson, was accused of molestation. that was the last great trial. and now he's dead and the so-called alleged perpetrator is now going to start the whole process. >> reporter: he may finish it, too. for at the heart of this case for the defense may lie not just dr. murray's medical care, but michael jackson himself. >> if the defense is going to be that the victim, namely michael jackson, combined drugs and didn't disclose the fact that he was taking other drugs to dr. murray, then it does become important. not only who michael jackson was, but the access he had to drugs. the fact is that the defense

may, in fact, try to exploit that, and that may be the best approach in defending dr. murray. ♪ >> reporter: yet geragos says in court, trying to besmirch the reputation of a well-liked celebrity in life or death can be a tall order indeed. >> if you have some degree of celebrity and you have people who like you or admire you, that can help. o.j. had a constituency, michael jackson had a constituency there were a lot of people who were looking to affix some kind of blame for his death, and unfortunately for dr. murray, he's right square in the cross hairs of that. >> reporter: whatever ancillary characters wind up emerging from this case, it's likely to be another southern california circus. and to enhance l.a.'s raepation, through legal proceedings that not only shed light, they can unleash a little lightning, as well. >> this one has kind of all of the elements for a perfect storm.

perfect media storm. >> reporter: i'm chris connell little for "nightline" in los angeles. >> and you can be sure the world, or at least some of it will be watching. our thanks to chris connelly. and when we come back, what is the proper role of the united states in rebuilding haiti? cynthia mcfadden has an exclusive interview with president bill clinton in the quake zone. (announcer) chug that coffee, bolt that burrito. no matter what life throws at you, you can take the heat. until it turns into... heartburn. good thing you've got what it takes to beat that heat, too. zantac. it's strong, just one pill can knock out the burn. it's fast, the speed you need for heartburn relief. and it lasts, up to 12 hours. so let them turn up the heat. you can stop that heartburn cold: (sssssssss!!!) zantac.

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well, there has certainly been progress in haiti, but

there is a long, long way to go. and the debate about how best to help this devastated nation is continuing. today, former president bill clinton saw the damage for himself, and my coanchor cynthia mcfadden was with him. cynthia? >> reporter: martin, there's no question that things are much better here in haiti than they were three weeks ago, but at night, security concerns are still a vibrant issue. now, bill clinton has been coming to this island for 35 years. in an exclusive interview today, after his new expanded u.n. role, we asked the former president if he believed what was broken on this island could ever be mended. our day started in the dominican republic. an hour and a half later, we neared port-au-prince. the hotel montana, site of both enormous destruction and those stunning rescues, comes into view. by then, the devastation to the capital is evident. and everywhere. we arrive at the port-au-prince

airport just in time to see president clinton's plane descend. even before bill clinton gets off, the aid starts to be offloaded. this is a working trip for clinton. the plane is packed with medicine, tents, protein bars, generators, and even 50 lap tops, earmarked for the haitian government to get itself back and functioning. finally, the president steps off the plane. givens a few quick hellos. we get one, too. >> mr. president, nice to see you. >> how you are doing? >> reporter: good. glad to be here today. >> thanks. >> reporter: then, off to his first meeting of the day with president preval. the first stop is the police station, or, what's left of it. th the seat of government. there's a protest going on. local telecom workers calling for the arrest of president preval. the crowd is dispersed using tear gas. bill clinton is inside meeting

with the president of haiti. this is where the haitian government is operating from, this one small police station. it is also the location where the ten americans who have been accused of kidnapping 33 haitian children are being held. those ten americans were whisked away from here about 30 minutes before bill clinton arrived. >> reporter: the ten defendants had a court date, it turned out, convenient to avoid any overlap with president clinton. >> i believe you've done a remarkably good job and i believe the people from the u.n. and the u.s. have done a good job. >> he lost his mother and his father. >> reporter: there is no question the former president sees this as an opportunity buried inside the curse of an earthquake. an opportunity that comes with some decisions that need to be made now. build back better has become the catch phrase.

how did that go? glad to see you. >> wit us good. >> reporter: americans don't think haiti has a functioning government. do they? >> yes, i mean, a lot of them, who you heard, they all survived miraculously, but they have, you know, they lost all their office space, as you can see. >> reporter: you brought 50 computers today? >> yes, we did that. >> reporter: clinton's new leadership, heading up and coordinating international relief, is a huge one. >> we've still got to be able to help people and deal with the sanitary conditions, to get enough distribution centers for the food. but i think they're really thinking about how they want it to work out over the long haul. >> reporter: what he does want is a working infrastructure, and that seems far off. our next stop is this hospital, an important stop to clinton. haiti has the highest aids infection rate in the western hemisphere, and this was the

country's first aids clinic. and the first recipient of any money from the clinton foundation. it is emotional. >> pleasure to meet you. >> yes, sir, thank you. >> reporter: today, the hospital is broken, but surviving. and remarkable care is being given. but the signs of the quake are everywhere. it's evident in the buildings. there's so many americans who are worried that the aid isn't getting through fast enough. how much of the $800 million has actually made it to haiti so far? >> i can't answer that question, but i can say that what i've tried to do with the money we've raised directly through the clinton-bush fund and the money i raised before it was established, is to do what we did here today, to go to places that are working, say, what do you still need and go do that. that's what we did with that money today. the american people should know that the money that goes to

these people that are on the ground with proven track records is being well spent. you should not want it all given out at once. >> reporter: so 15% is the right number, that's the number i heard from a lot of people. does that seem right to you at this point? >> probably. but i think that, keep in mind, the needs, for example, of the world food program will go up as their capacity to distribute goes up. >> reporter: but in the meantime, there is still much suffering. consider baby anuel. >> beautiful. >> reporter: as the president holds this little 2 month old, what he does not know is that without surgery, the baby, who is stable for the moment, will, in fact, die. >> she needs definitive surgery. >> reporter: a doctor pucks me aside and tells me that a u.s. hospital has agreed to provide the surgery for free, but they can't find a plane to take him to the states. i take the story to the clinton team and dr. paul firmer, who is traveling with clinton, and is a

legend in haiti for his 28 years of work here. he and his colleague, a young haitian doctor, agree to help. going through the system, is that what the issue is? >> all the communication systems have been done. >> reporter: farmer promises the baby will get the care he needs and that the president will know. >> reporter: just goes with complications. >> we'll be on it. he can facilitate it. >> reporter: it's a small reminder of a big problem. not quite works here, and certainly not easily. >> what i learned today is that an amazing amount has been done, an amazing amount remains to be done, and we have to get it right. we have to organize it right. >> reporter: six hours on the ground, but a commitment, he says, that will put him back here until the job is done. there is still very little that works here. and so in the streets there is hunger, quiet desperation, and a sense of patient wearing thin. that is the hard reality tonight

and one expects for many nights to come. martin? >> such critical work that theeneeds be done. our thanks to cynthia for that report. and when we come back, they are magnificent, powerful predators, but is the anaconda also misunderstood? we meet a couple trying to also misunderstood? we meet a couple trying to unlock the mystery. 'o'o'o'o'o'o'o'o'o 'o'o'o'o'o'o'o'o'o'o 'o'o'o'o'o'o'o > announcer:

>> announcer: "nightline" continues from new york city with martin bashir. >> according to the bible, the serpent is described as more crafty than any other beast of the field.

he was probably more fightening, too. but a couple you're about to meet has an entirely different take on the snake. they say the anaconda is not only misunderstood, but can be an object of their affection. as jeremy hubbard now reports. >> i've got it. >> reporter: the exact moment you remember why snakes freak you out comes right about now. a bloodied run in with the business end with the world's largest snake should elicit terror, right? >> welcome to the club. >> that's nice. that's what my husband has to say about this. welcome to the club. i was excited. i was actually surprised because i had never been bitten by a snake. >> reporter: for sara, a little serpent wrestling is actually enjoyable? and i heard you earlier use the word "fun" to describe all this. it's fun? >> yeah, it's fun. >> reporter: blame her husband for skewing her perception of a

good time. >> oh, boy. that's a big one. >> reporter: jesus has spent two decades tromping through the swamps of venezuela. >> okay. >> reporter: trying to uncoil the mysteries of the anaconda. >> she's got me in the whip now. >> reporter: up until now, most of what we know about the snake has come from campy hollywood creature features. hard to forget the movie "anaconda" and the cbi snake that tried to kill j.lo. but jesus is trying to change that perception. >> anaconda. >> reporter: now he has help in his mission. a chance meeting garnered him a wife/tag team snake wrestling partner. >> we want to a snakey collegy conference. obviously we both like snakes, and i don't know, we just fell in love. >> one of my students asked me yet, how did you manage to find a woman who likes snakes?

well, you go to snake conference to find one. that's easy. >> reporter: we went to kentucky to track him down. back here at home, they teach college courses and do their homework for their next trip back to south america. >> it's a different sub species. >> reporter: there in the marshes they lose their inhibitions and their shoes in their hunt for the reptiles. why barefoot? aren't you worried something is going to bite your toes off? >> barefoot actually is pretty safe. when you are boots on, things climb into your boots and bite you. >> reporter: even if they get bit again, the snakes are not venomous, and there's no record of an anaconda preying on a human. a reassuring fact as they wade through the mud, researching the anna doon's every move, eating, interacting, even having group sex. more on that in a bit. but first, the most important

reason they're after these slithering animals, their dna. >> that will help us know how many babies are from which fathers. is the population healthy, is their migration between different populations. >> reporter: on this recent mission, jesus and sara witness a rare treat. dinner time for a female anaconda. >> let's go around. >> reporter: this male, an unlucky turtle. >> so all the snake can do is hold him under the water to drown him. but this is an aquatic turtle. i don't know, it would take hours to drown. and they are just trying to swallow it. the turtle is large and the snake can't really get her mouth around it too well, so it's just struggling for quite awhile and eventually she swallows it. >> reporter: over the years, there have been dozens of bites for jesus. >> please don't do it. ah! >> reporter: they've tracked some 1400 anacondas. >> i'll leave you alone. >> looks like a big meal.

>> we feed a transmitter that puts out a signal, and we can find her, she goes out, she mates and because she has the transmitter, we can can go and find where she goes. >> reporter: for now, there is no shortage of snakes for these doctors to weigh and measure, thanks to that adult behavior we were talking about earlier. this is a breeding ball, or for lack of a better term, an anaconda orgy. >> basically what happens, the female lays down, and males find her and they start coiling around her. >> a group of guys and one gal entangled like this for up to six weeks until one of them impreg nates the female. seven months later, mom will give birth to up to 80 babies, and immediately send them out into the world. >> a lot of the babies are eaten. they are like a marshmallow. >> reporter: jesus and sara hope their research will dispositive

some fears of these great snakes who say they're not the killers they are portrayed to be. >> how can we understand the life of an animal that is so different than ours? we have to really try to put ourselves into the snakes shoes and walk on them in order to understand what their life is like. >> reporter: we'll leave it to these two to understand them better. i'm jeremy hubbard for "nightline." >> they sure do look frightening to me. our thanks to jeremy hubbard. and "anaconda queen of the serpents" premieres this saturday on the national geographic channel. when we come back, from a powerful an man to a powerful storm. coming up, the latest on the massive winter blast. first, here's jimmy kimmel with what's coming up next on abc. >> jimmy: thanks, martin. on the show tonight, oz si osbourne and barry manilow