this is "nightline." >> tonight, breaking news about that plane crash in the alps with three american victims. a new report says one of the pilots was locked out of the cockpit. plus this is what it looks like when you're distracted while driving. an unprecedented realtime look at the number one killer of teenagers in america. and a huge danger for anyone who gets behind the wheel. what's the top distractor? you might be surprised what our reporter learned when she got into a driving simulator today. and celine dion is back in business. her his song "i'm alive" more poignant than ever. as the singer returns to las vegas after seeing her husband through his second battle with cancer. how they decided that her show

and her heart must go on. and new direction. where do brook and hart go? they take to twitter. tonight the surprise announcement provoking a digital deluge of tears. but first the "nightline 5." >> you get sick you can't breathe through your nose you're a mouth breather. put on a breathe right strip and shut your mouth. cold medicines open your nose over time. add a breathe right strip and pow, it opens your nose up to 38% more. so you can breathe and do the one thing you want to do. sleep. add breathe right to your cold medicine. shut your mouth and sleep right, breathe right, and look for the calming scent of new breathe light lavender in the sleep aisle. >> number one in just

good evening. we begin tonight with new information adding a new layer of mystery to that plane crash in the french alps. abc news has not been able to independently verify this report. but according to the "new york times," one of the pilots of that plane was locked out of the cockpit when it went down. abc's hamish macdonald is in france now with the latest. >> reporter: tonight the "new york times" is reporting audio recovered from one of the black box flight recorders demonstrates that one of the pilots was locked outside of the cockpit during that deadly eight-minute descent. abc news can't independently verify this information but "the times" is quoting one of the investigators is saying it's clear from the audio one of the pilots is desperately trying to smash down the door. but there is no response from the other pilot who remained inside the cockpit. this adds another dimension to this mystery and this investigation. there are the families and friends of 150 people on board

that flight who are in mourning. among them we now know the families of three americans, including a mother and daughter. >> hamish macdonald thank you. we'll have much more on this story on "gma" first thing in the morning. we move on to the new video with the graphic illustration of the combustible mix of teenagers, cars and distraction. this is a warning not only for parents but for anybody who gets behind the wheel and here's abc's linzie janis. >> reporter: watch as this teen distracted by her phone for roughly six seconds loses control and careens off the road. and this teen one hand on the phone, another on the wheel. just seconds before colliding with another car. here's another playing deejay before running off the road. and another chatting to her friend then plowing into the car

in front of her. >> oh [ muted ]! >> these shocking videos part of an unprecedented look at the number one killer of american teenagers, car crashes. in the most comprehensive research of its kind of the aaa foundation for traffic safety analyzed nearly 1,700 accident videos finding distraction a factor in nearly 60% of crashes. that's four times the previous estimates based on police reports. >> what we call eyes off the road. >> reporter: the biggest distraction may come as a surprise. >> what was the most common? >> the most common was talking to somebody in the vehicle. exactly what we're doing. >> reporter: and the second-biggest distraction? texting and talking on cell phones. teens have the highest crash rit rate of any group. maryland teenager liz marks was a beautiful, popular high schooler who even did modeling

on the side. when in april 2012 she was driving and received a text from her mom. >> i would ask listz all the time did you text and drive? do you use your cell phone behind the wheel? she told me no. so i felt confident, that it was okay to text liz. >> reporter: in the moments liz took her eyes off the road to read the text, she crashed into a tow truck. the 17-year-old was airlifted to a hospital with serious brain injuries. >> i remember praying. and as my head was down i saw blood all over the floor. and it was my daughter's blood. >> reporter: and now at 20 liz remains disfigured disabled and blind in one eye. >> take a look, see how you're doing. >> reporter: today ocularist at johns hopkins is fitting liz with a prosthetic eye.

part of her lifelong journey. >> it's going to be very much like having two eyes again. >> reporter: from the accident injuries she's lost her sense of smell, can't create tears, and can't fall asleep without drugs. >> i had to relearn how to walk talk, breathe right, chew. i didn't know how to do anything. >> reporter: liz and her mother betty travel the country speaking out at high schools to warn teens about the hazards of distracted driving and how no text is worth risking your life. >> we ask the students do you text and drive? and a lot of them raise their hands. then we ask, do your parents text and drive? and those hands go flying. so the young adults the young drivers, think if they can do it, then i can do it. >> if you get a text don't look at it. >> reporter: their psa for the department of transportation has been viewed over 8 million times on youtube. it's a warning that isn't just for teens but for all of us who drive in this age of 24/7 technology.

>> here i go. there's a lot of traffic building up here. >> reporter: to better understand how small distractions can lead to serious, sometimes fatal errors -- >> oh! >> poor deer. >> reporter: i headed to fresh screen light driving school in greenwich, connecticut, with aaa's robert sinclair. this is a multi-screen simulator that many teens are using to drive. >> text 35350. >> reporter: i was surprised how a tiny bit of distraction made me second-guess my driving ability. >> oh! >> reporter: sinclair says if we're serious about safety we need to eliminate every distraction. >> even before you get started we're going to have you remove your bulky winter coat. >> no kidding? >> absolutely. >> i can't drive in my coat? >> you shouldn't. it restricts the movement of your arms. >> i'm not going to disobey the

driving instructor. >> reporter: how can we all be safer behind the wheel? >> 16 to 19 years old, week talking about a driver that has very limited experience. limited training. and numerous studies have shown that the young brain is not fully developed until it gets to 21, 22 years old. >> reporter: i asked robert what parents could do to minimize teen accidents. number one, set some rules. >> you let your teen driver know exactly what is expected of him or her. where you outline very carefully, perhaps even with a written contract the behaviors that are acceptable. >> reporter: number two, buy a safe car. >> you want a slow underpowered preferably big vehicle. >> reporter: number three, monitor their behavior. >> there are devices that you can track -- >> spy on your children? >> why not? you want to keep them alive? >> reporter: for all drivers, adults included he warns against loud music and says just because you use a hands-free device doesn't mean you're safe. aaa is now pushing states to pass laws prohibiting cell phone

use by teen drivers. so far 13 states have not. for distracted teen drivers lucky enough to survive, the punishment can be severe. in 2012 18-year-old aaron devoe became the first driver in massachusetts to be convicted of vehicular homicide by texting after hitting a 54-year-old man. on the day of the accident devoe sending a reported 193 texts. as for liz marks, who answered that fateful text from her mom, her message is simple. >> the message is to not text and drive. a text message can wait, your life can't. don't waste it like i wasted mine. >> reporter: for "nightline" in connecticut, i'm linzie janis. >> you should know every driver shown in that aaa video did survive. nobody was killed in any of those crashes. coming up here on "nightline," a wrenching interview with celine dion. she talks about the power of love, how her family copes with

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the singer celine dion changed the face of las vegas when she started performing there and she made headlines when she left it all behind to take care of her ailing husband. tonight she's making headlines yet again with a comeback and a raw, emotional interview with abc's deborah roberts. >> you haven't walked out here for months? many, many months? >> many months. >> reporter: it's been a year since celine dion last performed on this las vegas stage, built specially for her. to belt out those iconic songs like "my heart will go on." ♪ my heart will go on and on ♪ >> reporter: for much of the past year she's been silent. dealing privately with the kind of news all families dread. her husband of 20 years, rene diagnosed with throat cancer in

2013, again. >> it was december 17th and i will never forget. because it was a wedding anniversary and i was rehearsing for the boys. after the rehearsal i went back in my dressing room and i saw him looking pretty devastated and shocked. and i was like what's going on? and he said i have cancer again, the doctor just called me and i have cancer again. and at that moment honestly, my heart started to beat faster. but my body shut off. and i was like, i'm going to go put wakeup. i'm going to go sing incredible. i'm going to forget how i feel right now. ♪ incredible ♪ >> and i went on. i sang the song. ♪ we were incredible ♪ >> and then we went to the hotel. and then reality started to strike. it took a toll on me. >> reporter: celine and rene met when they were 12.

he became her manager, her mentor, and later the love of her life helping turn those early ballads into gold. ♪ because i'm your lady ♪ >> reporter: the devastating diagnosis made her residency in vegas a struggle. celine exhausted, torn between her passions, the stage and her husband. >> i had to leave him behind. he wanted me to start the shows again. >> how do you do that? >> sometimes -- i think i'm used to it -- don't feel what you need to feel. just do it. >> go onstage. >> i did. >> because you're a showbiz veteran, you know -- >> no, because i love him. and i did. and -- it was very hard. >> reporter: it was a grueling time. rene going through painful treatment, celine comforting their children r.c. now 14 and the twins eddie and nelson. >> what about our kids? what happens to papa? he can't hear very well because

of the radiation so his hearing is not really well. he can't use his mouth. he can't eat. so i feed him. he's got a feeding tube. i have to feed him two times a day. >> you did so much of this yourself. >> i do this myself. and so i feed my husband. and i feed my kids. and unfortunately, i had to say listen. i can't be half here and half this. meals allow me to stay home. >> reporter: she was leaving behind an unprecedented multi-million dollar deal at seize sar's palace. >> thank you so much. >> reporter: to step away and focus on what mattered most to her, her family. >> what kind of a toll has it taken on you? on the marriage? >> i stopped we healed, we focused, we live a day at a time. nobody knows what the future is holding for us. >> how did you explain it all to the children? what did you say to them about

daddy? >> i really believe that children know it all without asking so much. and i also believe that us parents, adults, we try to put a stop to what we are afraid of explaining because we're scared. because we're worried. if you tell the kids like i said to my children you want to come and help me feed papa today? i'm not making a deal out of the feeding tube. you want to help me out? you're a good feeder thank you so much, come on give a kiss to papa. i have a lot of empathy for my teenager, r.c., rene charles. he doesn't really talk about it. but i'm sure it's hard. i'm sure it is. >> reporter: in many ways celine dion is like so many of us struggling vulnerable at times. but growing stronger through suffering. >> millions of people in the world, they go through this drama. and a lot of them don't even say

good-bye. you know what? i'm amazed how fortunate we are. i think the fact that i've had this open-book type of personality and share it all, it's me. it's the person i am. i think it helped me in my life to sing my songs better. >> reporter: now she's see those powerful lyrics again with a new understanding of love and devotion. celine announcing she's taking the stage once again starting august 27th. >> and this is where i'll stand. right here. >> a lot of competition out there now. mariah carey is coming to town, britney spears has been here. does that make you any more nervous? >> i think it's going to help all of us to be the best of ourselves. there's one mariah there was one whitney, there's one britney. there's one of us. you know i don't believe that humans are all the same. >> reporter: but while other stars may travel back and forth to vegas, celine has set up

roots here. >> it is our primary home and it's wonderful to be here. my teenager plays lots of golf. now the arenas. he's a hockey player. believe it or not. >> wow. >> we were looking for ice in the desert. it was quite, quite hard to find. >> not so much. >> what are you looking for? you can find it here. >> reporter: though ailing rene remains at his wife's side and couldn't resist joining us onstage. >> so when you walk out here in august, where will rene be? >> i don't want you to be the first -- i'm not going to be able to say. >> you clearly love him a lot. you both adore each other. >> we do. we complete each other. we're one. >> reporter: they're in this together. their love and the show will go on. for "nightline" in new york, i'm deborah roberts. ♪ my heart will go on and on ♪

>> and a question of all of celine's songs, which speaks to you the most? tell bus your pick on our "nightline" facebook page. coming up next on "nightline," why twitter is drowning in the tears of tweens tonight. the instant and overwhelming fallout after a beloved member of one direction decides to revive the story of his life. the volkswagen passat handles like a dream. go ahead... step on it. yeah? yeah! that turbo engine packs a punch, right? oh yeah. pinch me. okay... and on passat models you can get a $1,000 volkswagen credit bonus. one more time. pinch me. it's not a dream. it's the volkswagen stop dreaming, start driving event. stop dreaming, do it again. and test-drive one today. hurry in and you can get 0% apr plus a $1000 volkswagen credit bonus on 2015 passat and jetta models.

so i was video chatting with my girlfriend. we haven't been together long but... she just says it. i love you. my heart is racing. so i say it right back. i love you too. and she freezes. not actually but the video chat. and i'm like, "did she even hear me?" i am so relieved i have verizon. i panicked, tried to unfreeze it and hung up. we are so much in love. she never called me back. join us and save without settling on the largest, most reliable network.

finally tonight, why tween hearts broke in unison today as

more than 8 million tweets mentioned a certain member of a boy band known as one direction. here's abc's nick watt. ♪ the story of my life ♪ >> reporter: a story of my life one direction's smash hit, but today took a different direction. quitting the biggest boy band on the planet. "i'm leaving because i want to be a normal 22-year-old who's able to relax and have some private time out of the spotlight." zane left the world tour last week citing stress. it's been a wild five years since they entered the british "x-factor." simon cowell made them into a band. >> this is just the beginning. >> reporter: today, distraught directioners, the fans tore up twitter. omfg my heart, i can't explain how i feel! groped another for words. a montage of tears. this band is arguably as big as

the beatles. >> reporter: want to know how popular? check out this company coughny on "kimmel." >> one direction! >> reporter: memories now, just memories. the voluminous hair the charcoal eyes. retired, age 22. i'm nick watt for "nightline" in los angeles. >> by the way, twitter is aflame tonight with a debate over who should replace zane. john stamos has already raised his hand. i will not do so. thank you for watching abc news tonight. as always we're online 24/7 at abcnews.com. [cheers and applause] [dramatic music] ♪ ♪ >> yeah! hey! hey! hey, hey! i'm terry crews, and i'm in the mood to give some money away today on millionaire. [cheers and applause] today's first contestant

believes where there's a will, there's a way. he's been meditating and envisioning himself on the millionaire stage for years, and he's finally here. from oakland, california please welcome dorian johnson! [cheers and applause] >> what's up, brother? >> oh, give me a hug! >> congratulations, my dude. >> oh, thank you. >> yes. >> thank you. from o-town. >> o-town. >> what's up, dorian? how you doing? >> i'm blessed, brother. thank you. >> now, you have been visualizing yourself here for years. i've always heard that's the key to success. >> right, right. >> look at this-- how does that work for you? >> well, check this out. let--close your eyes. >> yes. >> okay. [laughter] right now, you and i are floating up in the sky. >> ooh. >> we're at that million dollar question. >> oh, yeah. >> you asked, i answered. >> yes. >> confetti! >> hallelujah! >> we're flying around in circles. >> oh, i'm doing it! [cheers and applause] >> can you see that? >> you-- >> can you see that?