>> elizabeth vargas. >> good answer. the majority of americans think tim tebow as the guy next door, literally. according to a new poll, the denver broncos star is the top pick for the celebrity americans would most like as their neighbor. 11% would like to share a fence with tebow, beating out angelina and brad pitt, who got 10% of the vote. >> i'd rather live next to tim tebow, too. >> as for the celebrities no one wanted in the neighborhood. this one is a shocker. "the jersey shore" cast, tops for the second year in a row. >>> who had the hottest hair in 2011? you may be wondering. >> josh? >> your name's up there, josh. justin bieber beat you out. and emma watson's pixie. i love that cut. it's adorable. the most buzzed-about manes. >> it's adorable. it's easy to wear. >> can't argue. it's adorable. that's my analysis, exactly. adorable. >> according to "the wall street journal," they had the fastest rising searches for celebrity hair cuts on google. we'll see if this sparks a trend towards short and sweet locks in th

>> elizabeth vargas. >> good answer. the majority of americans think tim tebow as the guy next door, literally. the denver broncos star is the top pick for the celebrity americans would most like as their neighbor. 11% would like to share a fence with tebow, beating out angelina and brad pitt, who got 10% of the vote. >> i'd rather live next to tim tebow, too. >> as for the celebrities no one wanted in the neighborhood. this one is a shocker. "the jersey shore" cast, tops for the second year in a row. >>> who had the hottest hair in 2011? you may be wondering. >> josh? >> your name's up there, josh. justin bieber beat you out. and emma watson's pixie. i love that cut. it's adorable. the most buzzed-about manes. >> it's adorable. it's easy to wear. >> can't argue. that's my analysis, exactly. adorable. >> according to "the wall street journal," they had the fastest rising searches for celebrity hair cuts on google. we'll see if this sparks a trend towards short and sweet locks in the new year. >> two "ls," and two "ts." >

once again, i'm joined by elizabeth vargas. and i know, elizabeth, here in the city, and in the tristate area, that fire continues to resound what exactly happened in that mansion in connecticut. >> three children, two grandparents killed in that. firefighters needed counseling after working on that blaze. we'll get to more on that in a moment. >>> of course, it's one week to go before the votes are cast in iowa. a brand-new poll is showing front-runners mitt romney and newt gingrich are almost tied right now. >> down to the final minute. >>> also, the biggest divorce payout in the history of hollywood. almost $500 million. big numbers behind mel gibson's breakup. >>> first, let's get right to the developing stories around the country. and, sam, we're going to start with this storm front that's pushing through and threatening to make life nasty. >> it's a big storm, josh. good morning, josh, elizabeth, dan. good morning, everybody. here's what we're talking about. if 40 million people hit the air for this holiday season, and an

joined by elizabeth vargas this morning. take a look outside, everybody. that's going to be packed with, oh, 1 million people. come for the year's biggest and, let's face it, last celebration. some people are staking their claim to the choice spots, as they get ready for the greatest show anywhere. >> last celebration of 2011. sounds slightly apocalyptic. >> the year's last. >> that's true. and they're expecting more people this year because the temperatures are rising. it's going to be warmer. and new york city police are getting ready for more and more people to come out. it's not so bitterly cold. lady gaga and justin bieber will be sharing the stage outside. we'll check in with ryan seacrest to find out all about the new year's eve celebration. >>> and let's look at the scene, the dramatic rescue that played out live yesterday. you can see him there in the red jacket. that kid went over a ravine wall to get a dog who went over herself. they had to hang on for almost two hours, as rocks pelted them in the face. we're going to meet with him and hear how

she is speaking out tonight in an exclusive "20/20" view here is elizabeth vargas. she basically opens up about her ordeal and what is her take? >> she maintains that zander wants to be with her and he is not being suitably cared for by her own mother. she went to pick up her on sundry she denies it was a kidnapping and she denies they were hiding in a closet in an empty house when people found them. she describes a frightening scene where a swat team literally burst in the door with big guns. to remove the boy from her custody. there is a battle going on as to whether or not he will go back to mindy who is six-months pregnant with twins are back to her mother. she is alleging abusive behavior. this is a complex story. every character involved as a little bit of a troubled history. >> she was at the top of our game, a country star and since then has had so many personal problems. officially she does that have custody of person the she is looking to regain it. does she stand a chance with the court system? >> the court system is set up in this case to determine what

once again, i'm joined by elizabeth vargas. and i know, elizabeth, here in the city, and in the tristate area, that fire continues to resound. what exactly happened in that mansion in connecticut. >> three children, two grandparents killed in that. firefighters needed counseling after working on that blaze. so we're going to get more into that in just a moment. >>> of course, it's one week to go before the votes are cast in iowa. a brand-new poll is showing front-runners mitt romney and newt gingrich are almost tied right now. we're going to get the very latest on that in just a few moments. >> it is going to go down to the final minute. >> it is. >>> also, the biggest divorce payout in the history of hollywood. almost $500 million. big numbers behind mel gibson's breakup. >>> first, let's get right to the developing stories around the country. and, sam, we're going to start with this storm front that's pushing through and threatening to make life nasty. >> it's a big storm, josh. it's giant, really. good morning, josh, elizabe

elizabeth vargas is back with us this morning. >>> we have a lot to get to. including very frightening moments when southwest passengers had to abort takeoff at the last moment in sacramento last night. dan harris with exactly what happened in moments. >>> and five days away from the iowa caucus. things are heating up in that state, particularly between mitt romney and newt gingrich, who said his opponent should, quote, man up. while romney compared gingrich's campaign to lucille ball. we'll get to that in a moment. >> get the gloves off. >>> with a little help from her friends. the model that was injured by that airplane propeller, lauren scruggs, honored by her friends last night for her remarkable courage. we'll have the latest on her recovery. >>> we're going to turn, now, to the almost surreal pictures overnight from north korea. a rare glimpse into this mysterious nation, as people mourn the death of kim jong-il, the ruler they called their dear leader. and christiane amanpour joins us this morning. good morning, christiane. >> reporter: good morning, j

i'm elizabeth vargas, along with josh. george, robin and lara are off for the holidays. >> indeed, they are. >> you are the only one, you and sam, the original crew. >> holding it down. >> holding it down. >> you do. >> you're -- whatever your name is. whatever your name is. >>> also this morning, all of the latest holiday trends. show the world those new presents online. are these people sharing their joy? or just showing off? what do we think? it's a straw poll here at the desk. >> they look happy. but are they gloating? >> gloating. come on. >> is that a pop news item? >> not a pop news item. that's a separate item. >> thanks for bringing that up. >>> another trend, now. stay-at-home dads. they used to be called mr. moms. they've become much more common. their numbers doubling. but their choice is still raising eyebrows. we'll meet these loving fathers, tackling one of the hardest jobs they've ever had. my husband's playing stay-at-home dad this week. >> i have to tell you, it was a fun, fun time. >> so is mine. >> don'

elizabeth vargas is here with that. >>> and superstar justin bieber, stopped by cops again. why police pulled the singer and his bat mobile off the road. i won't ever say never. >> should go back to driver's ed. r's ed. back to driver's ed. my name is robin. i'm a wife, i'm a mom... and chantix worked for me. it's a medication i could take and still smoke, while it built up in my system. [ male announcer ] along with support, chantix is proven to help people quit smoking. it reduces the urge to smoke. some people had changes in behavior, thinking or mood, hostility, agitation, depressed mood and suicidal thoughts or actions while taking or after stopping chantix. if you notice any of these, stop taking chantix and call your doctor right away. tell your doctor about any history of depression or other mental health problems, which could get worse while taking chantix. don't take chantix if you've had a serious allergic or skin reaction to it. if you develop these, stop taking chantix and see your doctor right away as some can be life-threatening. if you have a history of heart

we're happy to have elizabeth vargas along. >> merry day after christmas. >> i know, i saw on twitter there, your kids were trying to trap santa. were you kids successful at tracking santa? >> they did. they caught him. >> i was more interested in norad catching santa as well. >>> people will be interested no getting out and shopping. so many of us will be heading out to the stores this morning. there's our next door neighbor, toys 'r' us. opened their doors at 6:00 a.m. many people trying to get in and buy. a new name for this day, megamonday. lots of returns will make for a good day for bargain-hunters. becky worley will be here with all the great tips of getting your gifts back to the stores. >>> just in the last couple of seconds, i've gotten two more amazon.com e-mails. >> she's a little busy. she'll be back to you in a moment. >>> also, countdown to iowa. the republican campaigns in the crucial stretch. just a week until the first votes are cast. a flurry of appearances. rushing to get the vote out efforts all week long. we'll have the latest. >> crunch time in iowa, for sure. >

we're happy to have elizabeth vargas along. >> merry day after christmas. >> were you kids successful at tracking santa? >> they did. they caught him. >> i was more interested in norad catching santa as well. >>> people will be interested no getting out and shopping. there's our next door neighbor, toys "r" us. they're opening. a new name for this day, megamonday. lots of returns will make for a good day for bargain hunters. becky worley will be here with more on that. >>> just in the last couple of secs, i've gotten two more amazon.com e-mails. >> he's a little busy. she'll be back to you in a moment. >>> the republican campaign in the crucial stretch. just a week until the first votes are cast. a flurry of appearances. rushing to get the vote out efforts all week long. we'll have the latest. >>> let's first get the news from "gma" weekend anchor dan harris. good morning. >> merry belated christmas to both of you. >>> the latest on the holiday shopping scene. this could be a record year for returns and post holiday sales. figures out this morning look encouraging. preholiday sales up

vargas, has been reporting on this from the beginning. she is here this morning. >> reporter: she's been spotted out with friends and with her sister, deanna. and now, the italian judges who set her free explain why they gave knox her life back, after four years in an italian prison. >> the immediate release. >> reporter: in the 143-page document, the italian judge who presided over the appeal of amanda knox, and her former boyfriend, raffaele sollecito, leaves no doubt in his decision to set them free. >> thank you, for being there for me. >> reporter: the judge condemned the prosecution's criticism of knox and sollecito's behavior, shrugging off their kissing outside the crime scene. saying, it was simply tenderness between two lovers. he also criticized of the incessant duration of amanda's interrogation by italian police. nearly 50 hours over a few days. >> she was subjected to extreme stress. psychological pressure. and there was no true reliability to anything that may have been said. >> reporter: the judge states, quote, the eviden