And with just four days until the 85th Academy Award, we stack up, the young, old, record holders and record breakers. Its oscars by the numbers. Announcer ke 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 cant remember everything that happened that fateful night. Here is abcs ryan owens for our series crime and punishment. The gun went off. I didnt mean to shoot him or anything i didnt 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 exboyfriend Travis Alexander in the shower. I am taking pictures of him. Weep were trying out different poses. It was a little weird the background wasnt that great, the water was okay. Reporter and second later, butchered the mormon businessman in the bathroom of his mesa home. She dropped alexanders 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 didnt even know that i shot him. It just went off. Reporter remember on june 4, 2008, her 30yearold former boyfriend wasnt 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 dont remember. There are a lot of gaps. Reporter thats 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 a time kind of person. Which i didnt 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 dont know if those are things i am thinking of from before or if it is that day its confusing. There is like a huge gap. Like i dont 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 halfhour. I just couldnt believe what happened. I couldnt take anything back what had just happened. It was like i couldnt rewind the clock. Reporter Travis Alexanders 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 cant tell you. Doesnt 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 crossexamine 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 wasnt there. If travis were here today he would tell you it wasnt 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 dont want to see her get the death penalty, dont want to see her lose her life, dont 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 isnt 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 exboyfriend. He is grabbing at my clothes. I got up. He is screaming, angry. And after i broke away from him, hes [ 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 coanchor terry moran reports from an ancient city under siege as the violence threatens to lobsterfest is the king of all promotions. Theres nothing like our grilled lobster and lobster tacos. The bar harbor bake is really worth trying. [ male announcer ] get more during red lobsters lobsterfest. With the years Largest Selection of mouthwatering lobster entrees. Like our delicious lobster lovers dream, featuring two kinds of succulent lobster tails. Or our savory, new grilled Maine Lobster and lobster tacos. Its back, but not for long. [ woman ] our guests go crazy for lobsterfest. My favorite entree is the lobster lovers dream. Whats yours . Come celebrate lobsterfest and sea food differently. Okay. [ male announcer ] with citibanks popmoney, dan can easily send money by email right from his citibank account. Nice job ben. [ male announcer ] next up, the gutters. Citibank popmoney. Easier banking. Standard at citibank. Makes it easy for anne to manage her finances when shes on the go. Even when shes not going anywhere. Citibank for ipad. Easier banking. Standard at citibank. 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. Coanchor 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 governments 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 19yearold 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 5,000year 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 highranking 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 cant 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 countrys 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 arent 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 1,200yearold 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 in body hair or increased acne in women may occur. Report these signs and symptoms to your doctor if they occur. Tell your doctor about all medical conditions and medications. Do not use if you have prostate or breast cancer. Serious side effects could include increased risk of prostate cancer; worsening prostate symptoms; decreased sperm count; ankle, feet, or body swelling; enlarged or painful breasts; problems breathing while sleeping; and blood clots in the legs. Common side effects include skin redness or irritation where applied, increased red blood cell count, headache, diarrhea, vomiting, and increase in psa. See your doctor, and for a 30day free trial, go to axiron. Com. 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. Its been 84 years. Close, gloria stewart, academys 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 wasnt handed the oscar until 1 00 a. M. Eastern, 4 23 after the show began. If you think thats long, in 1968, the Academy Awarded BestForeign 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, sundays pintsized 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, twotime winner daniel daylewis stand 62 playing the slightly taller 16th president. Tallest best actor winner the duke, john wayne, over 64, not counting the hat. This year lincoln lead the pack with 12 noms, two shy of titanic. That doesnt mean it is a shooin 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 hollywoods first family doesnt hurt. No, not that one. This one. The coppolas, with romans 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 coanchor 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 heros 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 receive a bone Marrow Transplant. My gma family, my family there at home. I love you. I will see you soon. Her solder sister sally ann was a rare Perfect Match and would be her donor to. Prepare for the transplant she had aggressive chemotherapy which laid waste to her immune system. This journey is as much about the mind as it is about the body. Reporter slowly robin regained her strength working with among others her medical team and yoga instructor. How much stronger i feel. Reporter eventually robin was well enough to return to gma for a rehearsal. Like butter. Like butter. Reporter even took a road trip with me and sam. Its home. Reporter to her beloved new orleans for the super bowl. All of it preparation for today. And her first guests well those doctors and nurses who took such wonderful care of her for all of those months. When can i go back into the studio . And sit in the chair . Set the date. And lets plan it together. Reporter but they did want her to take it easy. At least for the first week. We didnt exactly have in mind an interview with mrs. Obama and the oscars for this weekend as an easy start. Reporter as they now know, as do we all, easy just isnt robins style. Lets eat [ applause ] for nightline, josh elliott, in new york. You can see how well she is doing, bright and early tomorrow. As