the bedroom scenes are the best. >> oh. thank you. >> ryan said that you were the one that's really going out and pushing the boundaries here in these scenes. >> well, you know what, in a strange way i think i almost sometimes prefer to watch myself in a love scene because i know that i have to be completely honest in order to achieve something that looks authentic and feels real. they don't scare me, those scenes. it's an opportunity to be fearless. >> are you kind of bummed that you're one of the few people that didn't get to hook up with the countess? >> well -- we're only halfway through the season. >> oh my gosh! >> so i don't know. >> the countess role, created specifically for gaga, will she stay for a second round of "american horror story"? >> there's nobody else in the world who could have played this part. >> now looking ahead to more seasons, i can see it happening. >> with gaga? >> oh, yeah. >> well, i would be a liar if i denied that i had on bended knee asked her to consider it, of

course. >> ryan said that you would be in the next season he hopes. boo you love to do it? >> of course i would. >> and ryan put that plea on blast begging gaga on twitter to return for another season. okay, coming up, hugh jackman on taking it all off for his new movie. and scott movie man is here with what to see and what to skip this weekend. that's next.

i don't believe in pedestrian time stories. bedtime stories. >> welcome! to neverland! >> nice guy hugh jackman, not so nice. the at the premiere hugh told us about taking it off to play the sinister pirate. >> i recommend everyone to shave your head at least once in your life. >> bald no more. hugh jackman told us he loved his look as blackbeard in "pan." >> i love the require are. i'm lazy. hair is a hassle. and they said, we can put a bald cap on every day. and i said, give me the clippers right now. >> the menacing and very black moustache and beard are all hugh, or maybe not, according to his son. >> when i went to film i said to my son, i'm going to play blackbeard. he said, it's more like black and white beard, dad. >> it's fun but also a scary

opportunity. you know, you don't want to screw up. you never want to be making your last movie with steven spielberg. and that's always, you know -- i can't help but think that's a risk i run. >> we don't think you have to worry about that, tom, teaming up with steven spielberg for another powerhouse project with "bridge of spies." the two shot a pivotal thing in frigid temp purse. >> cold is cold. i'm cold when it's 68 degrees. and we shot three full nights on the bridge. and it was -- you know something? when you're into the work, you forget whether you're hot or cold. >> austin stowe, who plays american pilot francis gary powers, made his red carpet debut at the new york film festival premiere. kate winslet celebrated her 40th at the premiere of "steve jobs" and told us she's embracing her age. >> i feel i've earned these 40 stripes. i'm excited about being 40.

>> screen writer aaron sorkin shows a seldom seen side of the apple founder played by michael fassbender. >> i was happy this wasn't your traditional cradle to grave story. it was at very specific times in the man's life and played out in realtime. >> five years ago, aaron sorkin won an academy award for his screenplay for "the social network" about mark zuckerberg, creator of facebook. sorkin sets his sights on steve jobs. as scott movie man explains this is not "the social network 2." >> no and that's one of the great things about steve jobs. i loved "the social network." should have won best picture. "social network" was the citizen kane of the 21st century. steve jobs couldn't be any more different. this is an exhilarating, exciting, full of energy,

terrific film. >> this movie takes place over three days? >> over three days. that's the beauty of it. it's a brilliant structure. there's a little bit of flashback. basically the three days are the launch of the macintosh, the launch of the next, the launch of the imac. a bit of flashback but so much energy. by the time it was over i felt like i just watched an action movie, better than most of the actions i've seen this fuller. michael fassbender is superb as steve jobs. unliableable. comes off as kind of a jerk. but that doesn't pull any punches. it's uncompromising. it's the perfect kind of movie for director danny boyle who won the oscar for "slumdog millionaire." remember that slogan from apple, think different? steve jobs does think different on so many levels and that's what makes it so great. >> great review, i cannot wait to check out this film. how is "pan"? i wanted your review. >> "pan," hugh jackman as

blackbeard, best thing about the movie. he's terrific in everything. but the movie itself, i don't think i need to see any more movies about peter pan for a while. this is a revisionist take, not conventional. it's a pretty movie, the production values are very good. the story didn't grab me, took a long time to kick in. not sure who this movie's far. a little too dark for kids. grownups might be tired of it. the reason to see it hugh jackman. otherwise, put the lid on peter pan for a little while. >> looks like i'm seeing "steve jobs" this weekend. thank you, great to have you back. while the real steve jobs created an empire, singer becky g. got to guest star on an empire of her own. >> i got the nickname baby cookie after filming with my first scene and that was like the biggest deal for me. >> from becky g. to baby c., a taste of tv stardom guest starring on jet stream pyre" as

the valentina. not to worry, becky's not leaving her music career in the dust. a new single "break a sweat" is available now. ♪ break a sweat break a sweat >> anybody that knows me and they've watched reality television, they know how passionate i am about design and creating things. >> lisa vanderpump joined by fellow housewife heather dubrow, holly robinson peete, in beverly hills for the woman of live event to celebrate the launch of lisa's new home collection. guests were given a sneak peek of the line which is making its debut on october 24s. 24 the. i've never been to anything like this. i'm from london. we don't do anything like this. >> really? >> for me i'm like, i can't wait to get back in and just kind of like see what happens. >> rita ora walked the black

carpet alongside vanessa hudgens, victoria husband advertise, and derek hough are. once the stars entered the park they were greeted by over 1,000 monsters lurking in the fog. monster mayhems. all things scary on the loose at universal studios orlando as the park rings in its 25th year of halloween horror nights open through november 1st. the month-long event will feature haunted houses inspired by the walking dead, the purge, and more. >> we have a name. we're not telling anyone. my husband and i, the second we met, we were like, these are our kids' names. >> ready from the get-go. jana kramer and hubby mike are prepared for the arrival of their first child together, a baby girl. until the let's lady arrives, jana's keeping busy with "31 available now." ♪ i got the first kiss

♪ she'll get the last 25 years ago, when i penned the first "goosebumps" story, i had no idea it would be a worldwide sensation. and yet here we are. ha ha ha! >> jack black stays in full character at the premiere of "goosebumps" playing author r.l. stine whose books and villains come to life on the red carpet where he and young costars come face-to-face with the spooks. >> fell michael to move on. >> the truth is i'm in love with -- >> three's a crowd. watch jane juggle motherhood and her love triangle when "jane the virgin" returns to the cw monday night. coming up, pharell happier than ever and giving back to the community. we're with him next.

closed captioning and other considerations for "access hollywood" provided by --

we leave you now with the happiest guy around, pharell. he is spreading the joy as lewis discovered in our new interview. bye, guys. >> how's it make you feel when you see these kids smiling? >> well, it's a great feeling to see them smiling. >> to say pharell williams is happy would be an understatement. ♪ because i'm happy >> his song "happy" originally written for "despicable me 2"

became a massive hit and the lyrics fill the pages of his new children's book. >> the song was something you could hear before and feel. now this is more tactile, something that you can actually pick up, it's tangible. >> because i'm? >> happy! >> pharell read to children at the brooklyn public library and it's no surprise they knew all the words. he's teamed up with first book to donate 50,000 copies of "happy" to children in

a heroing story. >> we had so many people step forward. >> he discovered his wife dead. >> he was bound to be a suspect and some say he had a motive. >> he makes comments about how much money he'll have after she's gone. >> cops found blood on his slippers and said he failed a polygraph. >> the fact of the matter is -- >> the thing was this husband had an alibi thanks to the buddies he met every tuesday for game night. >> we knew he could not have

committed this crime. >> impossible. >> the man could not be in two places at the same time. >> some say police ignored another potential suspect. >> one of the concerns i had. >> they wanted to bring somebody in and police telling them it was me. >> an innocent man railroaded by investigators or a killer protected by his tuesday night pals? now a most unlikely twist. >> this didn't happen, right? >> it is incredibly rare. >> may lead to the truth. >> very emotional. almost feels like you can't breathe. >> i'm lester holt and this is "dateline." here is keith morrison with game night. on the 27th of december in a small town not far from st. louis, missouri a frigid night.

the woman inside no longer felt the cold. she would never feel anything now. it was 9:40 p.m. all over. >> i just got home from a friend's house and -- >> the man on the phone was hysterical. >> what is her name? >> her name is betsy. >> betsy? >> yes. >> betsy and the crime yying yo hear is her husband, russell. >> russell, do you think she is beyond help right now? >> i think she's dead. >> okay. >> oh my god. >> betsy was dead and gone at

42. and yet early death for betsy and you will hear is not a surprise. that had been pre-ordained. it was how it happened and what happened after we first told the story about the mystery that went down a rabbit hole as you shall see. first you need to know about betsy. she was one of four girls in her family, mary rogers and judy sweeney were older sisters. >> kind of gregarrious. >> a great word for her. she was an individual. you couldn't tell her no. she did what she wanted to do. she started djing. >> she was in her element. she could get anybody on the dance floor whether they wanted to or not. >> betsy was a single mother of

two daughters, leah and mariah. he seemed just about perfect 23r her, funny, outgoing, big heart. >> he is a happy person, a jokester. you never seen him without her laughing. >> and she was the perfect woman for him. >> she encouraged me to go back to school and get my degree which led to a better job and more money which i probably wouldn't have done had she not come along. >> when russ met betsy her daughters were young. >> we created a big bond and leah bonded with me, as well. >> betsy and russ got married in january 2000 and like many couples they had good times and then less good times. for more than a year they actually lived apart. >> we argued a lot. it's always darkest before the dawn they say. >> then betsy told him she found

a church that meant a lot to her. >> the first week we went there they were starting a series on marriage. we kind of like an omen. >> that, said russ, is when their marriage got better again. >> we re-fell in love with one another. >> life will have its way with a person. betsy found out she had breast cancer. >> christmas of 2009 she told us that she thought she had it and it was diagnosed in january 2010. >> went through a lot of crying and heart ache. a lot of hard times. we kept our faith and kept praying. >> she handled it with such grace. she just amazed the millions of people that she knows. she was involved with tennis. she just continued playing tennis. you would never know she was

going through chemo. >> maybe that helped her beat it. in the winter of 2011 betsy's doctor told her the cancer was in remission. she and russ decided to celebrate. they organized a caribbean cruise and invited friends and family to come along. >> she thinks i'm free and clear and then this bomb is dropped on her. >> the cancer was back and spread to her liver. >> it was too far in her liver that they couldn't take it out. >> she had with luck three to five years, perhaps less. so what did russ and betsy do? they went on that cruise anyway, took their whole gang with them. betsy got to swim with the dolphins, a dream she had for years. >> seeing how happy she was made me happy. >> she told everybody this was a second honeymoon for them and they had the best sex they could have on this cruise.

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>> i just got home from a friend's house and -- and my wife -- my wife -- >> reporter: part way through russ faria's hysterical call to 911 the night of december 27th, 2011, were four little words that were going to become very important indeed. >> my wife killed herself. >> reporter: "my wife killed herself." >> okay. russell, i need you to calm down, honey. okay? i need you to calm down and take a couple deep breaths. we're going to get somebody on the way there, okay? >> reporter: russ said he'd returned home after a night out with friends to find his wife, betsy, dead on the living room floor. and it looked like suicide, he told the 911 operator. >> what -- what did she do? do you know? >> she's got a knife in her

neck. and she sliced her arms. >> reporter: now, much later, russ told us something clicked when he saw her lying there. >> well, she had talked about it years before and actually tried it once or twice. >> and when you came in, what do you -- >> i saw slashes on her arms, you know, and that was the first thing that just registered in my mind. >> reporter: early next morning, betsy's mother, janet meyer, got a knock on the door. officers standing there on her doorstep. >> one of them just looked right at me and said, "betsy's dead." and i said, "well, how could she be dead? she was just here last night." >> reporter: officers also went to betsy's sister julie's house. >> they said it was a possible suicide. you know, i -- i looked at her and gave her this look like, i don't think that sounds right. >> reporter: thing is, by the time police offered that suicide suggestion to betsy's family, they already knew. the death of betsy faria was no suicide. not even possible. first responders could tell right away and the medical

examiner's office found betsy's body had been pierced many, many times, including wounds most likely inflicted after she was already dead. hardly surprising then, that police might be casting around for suspects. or that russ, the husband, the man who supposedly "discovered" the body had some explaining to do. but that night, at the sheriff's department, getting him to focus was not an easy thing. >> oh god. it sucks. no. >> but i think you're the only one that can help us with this right now. >> i don't know what to do. >> reporter: but investigators had a job to do, find betsy's killer, and they thought it might be russ, who was incredibly emotional. was he acting? was this florid grief actually real? whatever it was, russ seemed to be sticking with the suicide story. >> what do you think happened to betsy?

>> it looked like she killed herself. >> reporter: but did he really not know about all those other stab wounds? and something else, betsy's body was cold and stiff when those first responders arrived. rigor mortis had already set in, the blood was drying. based on that, it had appeared betsy had been dead for some time when russ called 911. so detectives zeroed in on betsy and russ's movements. >> reporter: russ said betsy had a chemo appointment that afternoon, planned to go to her mom's house afterwards and then russ would drive her home. or at least, that was the arrangement. but when he called betsy sometime after 5:00 p.m. -- >> i asked her if she needed a ride on my way home, and she said no. that her friend was gonna bring her home. and i said, "okay." and she said she had something to talk to me about. and i said, "well is it good or bad?" and she says, "well it's good. don't worry." and i said, "okay, well i'll see you at home later," and "i love you." and that was the last time i talked to her.

>> reporter: after that, said russ, he ran some errands, and then, at 6:00, as he almost always did tuesday evenings, he arrived at a friend's house, where a small group gathered for what they called their game night. >> we go over there on tuesday nights and usually we play games. >> but that particular night my friend had gotten a couple of movies. and, so, we decided to watch movies instead. >> reporter: he left at 9:00, he said, stopped for a couple of sandwiches at a local arby's drive-through, then drove the 30 minutes back to his house in troy, which would have put him there about 9:40 p.m. he said he walked through the unlocked front door, all unsuspecting, and then -- >> i was taking my jacket off and calling for betsy. and then i seen her there on the floor. >> will you ever forget what that was like, coming into the house and seeing that? >> i see it every time i close my eyes. >> i fell down there by her and

i looked and i saw cuts on her arm and then i saw a knife in her neck. >> reporter: and that, said russ, is all he saw. so it looked to him like she'd done it herself, deliberately. >> and if this comes back that it's not a suicide, you don't have any idea? who may have harmed betsy? >> no, everybody loved betsy. she was a positive soul. she always brought smiles to people. and she made me smile all the time. she made me so proud. >> it's not typical for someone that's going to commit suicide to do it by the way that she done it. and that's -- that's what concerns us. >> reporter: so it did. it also made russ the prime suspect. coming up -- russ and betsy's relationship. they'd recently enjoyed that romantic cruise, but a friend of betsy's tells police things between them really weren't that sunny. >> he'd start playing this game

of putting a pillow over her face. "this is what it's going to feel like when you die." and then act like he was kidding. >> reporter: when dateline continues.

>> reporter: not long after russ faria found his wife dead, the police took him in for a long night of questions and a polygraph test the following afternoon.

though, said russ, when he saw the machine: >> honestly, i don't even know if the thing was on or not. >> reporter: but after it? they told him he failed it miserably so he must have done it, they said. time for him to confess. >> the fact of the matter is -- you stabbed betsy. >> no, i did not. i wasn't even there. >> russ, you were there. >> no, i found her like that when i came home. >> reporter: "seemed obvious", said the investigators. either russ killed betsy in a sudden blind rage. or he was a cold-blooded killer who planned the crime. which was it? they demanded to know. >> i did not do this. >> reporter: russ denied it again and again. dozens of times. but investigators didn't buy it. and much of the reason for that is they were hearing from this woman -- pamela hupp. she was the friend who drove betsy home from her mother's that evening.

pam met betsy years earlier when they both worked in the insurance industry. and she had a lot of things to say about russ, including what sounded like a big fat motive: money. >> he makes comments about how much money he'll have after she's gone because he's got --. this is what she said. i don't know for sure. i've never seen their financials, but he's got life insurance on her at work. she's got life insurance. >> reporter: pam hupp told investigators she'd been with betsy the day she died and that betsy told her about a proposal she was going to make to russ -- that the two of them move into her relative's house in town, while they rented out their home in troy. they'd all save money that way and she'd be closer to friends and her chemo treatments. but pam claimed betsy was concerned about how russ would react to that idea. >> and she goes, "okay, well, i'll tell him, but i'm telling you right now that he's going to get very angry." >> why? why? >> she said, "he's tired of moving." "he is staying in his house and that's it."

>> so she had already approached him with the idea? >> she was going to approach him --. >> okay. >> when he came home. >> reporter: could that have set russ off? investigators asked him about that. >> she never mentioned that to me. >> well, that was the news that she wanted to share with you when you got home. >> i never got a chance to hear it. the first time i heard about it was when you told me. >> reporter: investigators didn't believe that. especially when they heard the bombshell pam laid on them. a disturbing game pam said russ played with betsy. >> he'd start playing this game of putting a pillow over her face to see what it would feel like. i don't know if she said, "this is what it's going to feel like when you die," or whatever. and then act like he was kidding. >> uh-huh. >> she was very upset. >> did she sound scared? >> oh, yeah. >> reporter: so they took that accusation to russ, too. >> i never did that. >> why would her friends tell the police that you had done that, and that she was scared?

>> she had no reason to be scared of me. she's never been scared of me. >> reporter: but it wasn't just the pam hupp story that made russ a key suspect. oh no. though betsy was killed in her living room, crime scene investigators found her blood on a light switch in the bedroom. and on a pair of russ's slippers, stashed in a bedroom closet. >> the fact of the matter is: it's a sloppy crime scene. there's blood on your clothes, in your residence, in your bedroom. >> i didn't even go to my bedroom. >> reporter: then they confronted russ with the horrifying fact that betsy had been stabbed over and over again many, many times. >> your wife was stabbed over 25 times, russ. >> oh, my god. no. >> over 25 times. they're still counting. >> oh, my god. >> a burglar doesn't do that, russ. a stranger doesn't do that. somebody who loves that person does that. somebody who goes into a blind rage does that. >> reporter: "there was only one option," said the investigators. russ was going to have to come clean and confess.

>> there's no one else that has any kind of motive, monetary or -- crime of passion. >> i can't tell you what i don't know. i don't know. >> and i says, you know, "i can't confess to something i didn't do." and i can't give you details for something that i wasn't present for." >> there was never a focus on anybody else. >> reporter: it was the day after the murder that russ's cousin mary heard that betsy was dead, and that russ was being questioned. and that didn't make sense to her. she'd seen betsy and russ just a few days earlier everything seemed fine then. >> betsy was laughing and happy. she was even saving him a spot on the couch. she's like, "here, babe, you can sit next to me." >> reporter: mary was so sure russ would not, could not, have killed betsy, she set out to defend him any way she could. but by the time investigators released russ, 48 hours after he was first brought in for questioning, the story was all over the local media. >> and boy this case has really been taking a lot of turns today.

>> that was hard. i mean, they showed my picture on the news and --. >> they said you were the main suspect? >> yeah, that's what it appeared. and -- while i was watching it, my family came in and turned it off. they said, "you don't need to watch that." >> reporter: some people began rethinking the man. maybe those jokes and pranks of his were really, well rather immature and crude and boorish. these church friends, sondra and marty mcclanahan, had spent a lot of time with betsy and russ. >> many people would describe him as a pig. just the things he would say. not respectful and he would do that to everybody, but he's doing it to his wife, too. >> oh, you know, "you wouldn't understand." "it doesn't matter -- you're not smart enough." you don't, like, say that in front of a group of people to your spouse. >> reporter: betsy's mother, though she said she'd been close, very close to russ, also remembered a few things that now stuck out like a sore thumb. >> he told a friend of mine's husband that if he got into a fight with somebody, he would fight to kill. >> reporter: and betsy's sisters?

they weren't aware russ ever physically hurt betsy, they said, but when they thought about it, there was rage in that man. >> i think he had a lot of built-up anger. >> reporter: "there was the time," said mary, "when russ chased one of the daughters' boyfriends with a baseball bat." >> who chases after a boyfriend with a baseball bat? >> yeah, did you see that happen? >> no. >> who told you about this? >> the girls. >> i think they were very scared by it. >> reporter: so when officers told the family about all those stab wounds? >> when they said that, i didn't have any doubt in my mind. i never thought it could be anybody else but russ when they told me that. >> reporter: that's what the investigators were thinking, too. but there were plenty of people in town who thought the idea that russ faria killed his wife was utter hogwash. and they said they could prove it. >> coming up. what sounds like a slam-dunk alibi from russ's "game night"

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>> reporter: in the days after betsy faria died, her husband russ was, without a doubt, suspect number one. but while police accused him of murder -- >> all of the evidence points to you. >> reporter: and betsy's family painted russ as an angry man. others in russ faria's world didn't believe a word of it. >> they were very happy. and they were planning a trip to florida and it was going to be in march. and he was like, "well, if that's what you wanna do, you plan it. we'll make it happen." >> reporter: after betsy's death, cousin mary saw russ's grief up close. >> he was heartbroken. and he kept saying how bad it hurt because he lost his betsy.

that was the most heart-wrenching thing to see. >> reporter: they had a wake for betsy. and russ -- >> he broke down, just talking to her all by himself, just him at the casket. and he fell to the ground. he was a broken man. >> it was hard. it was very hard, but it was really nice to see how many people that she touched and that came. >> reporter: and as for that story pam hupp was telling about russ putting a pillow over betsy's face, saying that's what death feels like? >> would russ have done such a thing? >> no. now, would russ pull a cover over her head and fart underneath it and say something like that? yes, he would. >> 'cause he was a jokester? >> that he would do, yes. but would he put a pillow over her face and do that? absolutely not. >> they were happy couple. >> reporter: one of betsy's many good friends was russ's aunt, linda hartmann. she said russ was the last person she'd suspect of killing betsy, especially given how upset he was about her terminal cancer.

>> the way that he had spoken about losing betsy. you know how much he loved her and how -- how he didn't know whether he was gonna live without her. he was taking it really badly. >> reporter: but, said linda, the police didn't seem to want to hear any of that. >> they kept on asking me, you know, "do you think it could've been russ?" >> reporter: but, of course, most of what you heard was just opinion. russ's defenders had something much stronger in their corner. an alibi. remember that game night russ said he attended between 6:00 and 9:00 p.m. the night betsy was murdered? this is michael corbin, the host of game night. a few of his friends had been coming by tuesday nights for years. >> essentially, it's a way where we can all get together, be sociable and not really spend any money. >> reporter: that particular tuesday night, mike said, russ and the others watched movies together. and everyone left at 9:00 p.m. as usual.

then early the next day, mike and his girlfriend, angie, got a surprise. >> we were up having our morning coffee. got a knock on the door, which is instantly odd, about 6:00 or maybe a little before. the police more or less invite themselves in and start asking us a whole lot of questions about what happened last night. "was russell here last night? was he drinking anything? was he acting strangely?" there was a little bit of marijuana that was smoked, but i don't even know whose that was. it was a really boring night, quite honestly. >> reporter: thing is, the police didn't tell them anything beyond the fact that something had happened to betsy, said mike. they just asked a lot of questions about their game night the night before. then, three days later, there was another early morning knock at the door. >> they took angie in one car, me in another vehicle with two investigators and they questioned us separately, or interrogated us. i'll put it that way. >> reporter: the two others at mike's house that night were also picked up and questioned separately. they all said the very same thing, russ arrived around 6:00, they watched movies. >> and we were all within eight

feet of each other the whole night. >> did he act the same as usual? >> oh yeah. >> and you -- >> yeah. you know, he dozed off at one point. i know that. i looked over and he was sitting in my leather chair over off to the right. i didn't think anything weird of this. >> reporter: nor was it simply the unsupported story of some friends. a surveillance camera showed russ stopped for gas just after 5:15 p.m. more videos and receipts when he stopped to buy cigarettes, dog food, a couple of iced teas on the way to game night before 6:00 p.m. russ's cell phone pinged in those areas, too, and all evening from 6:00 to 9:00 p.m. pinged away near mike's house. and the receipt from his trip to the arby's drive-thru was time- stamped 9:09 p.m. the drive back to russ's house would take, what with that stop at arby's, about 35, 40 minutes, putting him home just about the time he called 911. >> once we heard the timeline, we knew that he could not have committed this crime. >> impossible? >> it's impossible.

a man cannot be in two places at the same time. >> i know how your wife died. >> reporter: but detectives not persuaded. not at all. after all, they had pam hupp's story. and what they said was russ's failed polygraph and her blood on his slippers and it wasn't long after betsy was killed that russell faria was arrested for the murder of his wife. coming up -- some say investigators may have blown it. by focussing only on russ because of somebody else who got the pay-out from betsy's $150,000 life insurance policy. >> she got the money? >> she got the money. >> when "dateline" continues.

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