this is "world news." tonight, gabby giffords says she's stepping down. in a powerful and touching message to her constituents today, the congresswoman who made that remarkable journey back says she will resign from congress. >> i don't remember much from that horrible day, but i will never forget the trust you placed in me to be your voice. >> the powerful message and the promise for the future. remembering joe paterno. an outpouring of emotion as the penn state icon passes away. his legacy and the scandal that tarnished it. brand-new race. the south carolina surprise.

newt gingrich pulling off a stunning victory. tonight the numbers. just who voted for him? women, evangelical voters. has this changed the race? safe at home, we're with the brave 9-year-old girl who outwitted her kidnapper. what she says her father taught her that helped her escape. and silence is golden for the oscar nominations coming this week. the silent movie making so much noise, and we go back to that moment in film history, that studio that might have started it all. ♪ and good evening on this sunday night. for more than a year now, congresswoman gabrielle giffords has inspired us all with her courage and determination, and tonight that courage is on display again. today in a moving video she broke the news to her constituents that she will be stepping down from congress to focus on her recovery, and so we

begin tonight here with gabrielle giffords in her own words in that halting message we saw today. >> arizona is my home, always will be. a lot has happened over the past year. we cannot change that, but i know on the issues we fought for, we can change things for the better. we can do so much more by working together. i don't remember much from that horrible day, but i will never forget the trust you placed in me to be your voice. thank you for your prayers and for giving me time to recover. i have more work to do on my

recovery, so to do what is best for arizona, i will step down this week. >> gabrielle giffords' decision to resign this week comes after an extraordinary journey back. it was a year ago this month she was shot while holding that meeting with her constituents outside a tucson supermarket. six others were killed. there was the national vigil held outside the tucson hospital, and from inside, that first image, giffords' hand held by her husband, shuttle commander mark kelly, at her side from the start. he documented her recovery, her triumphs, her tests, and they bravely shared it with our diane sawyer. just 20 days after the shooting, gabby giffords was sitting up in a wheelchair learning how to nod. >> that's a nod. >> reporter: they had begun the slow and determined journey to help gabby unlock her words. >> now you try it with me. ♪ i love --

♪ you >> reporter: gabby giffords and her husband told diane that one of the reasons they decided to let the world see the tapes was to show what's possible using music to retrieve lyrics to another side of her brain to get her words back. ♪ girls just want to have fun >> yes, yes. yes, yes, yes. >> reporter: and when diane asked about the husband by her side from the beginning -- >> is there a word for mark? >> brave, brave. >> thank you. >> brave, brave. >> that's what i think of when i think of you too, tough as nails. >> tough as nails. >> reporter: and during their time together, diane asked about the decision that would come. >> and so you think to yourself, i'll go back to congress if i get better? >> yes, yes, yes, yes. >> reporter: and that's where you are right now. >> yes, yes, yes. >> reporter: in fact, this sentence practiced during speech therapy. >> i will return -- return. >> reporter: and though she steps down this week, in that new video today, a clear indication that gabby giffords believes her career in public

service is not over. >> i'm getting better every day. my spirit is high. i will return, and we will work together for arizona and this great country. thank you very much. >> the congresswoman in her own words today. she'll be at the president's state of the union tuesday in washington, and before officially leaving office this week, giffords will hold a private gathering with some of the people who had gathered at that meet and greet that day at the supermarket. she's determined, she says, to finish her congress on your corner event that was cut short a year ago. i want to bring in our medical editor, dr. richard besser, who's been tracking all of this. rich, i want to play two of the doctors on gabrielle giffords' team and what they said to diane sawyer during her reporting on this. it was very encouraging when we heard it. let's hear it again. >> i think patients continue to

recover for two, three, even four years. >> she hasn't plateaued. she's not going to plateau, but i have great faith that she'll make a sound decision for her, so what i'm saying here is if gabby thinks she can go back to congress, she can. >> reporter: at the time saying she hadn't plateaued. three or four years to recover, and you were saying today that this resignation does not mean in any way that she's peaked. >> in no way. i was totally blown away watching that video. the progress she's made so far is absolutely incredible, but recovery is hard work, and so taking the time now to focus on that recovery is going to maximize the recovery, but it says absolutely nothing about whether in the future she could come back and run for congress. >> and so when we hear "i will be back," she very well could be. >> she could be. >> all right, rich. thanks to you tonight. and there, of course, is the political component of all this. her seat in the 8th

district of arizona which she won in a hotly fought race two years ago. arizona's governor will hold a special election, and democrats have been encouraging giffords' husband, astronaut mark kelly, to run for her seat, but every indication so far is that kelly will not do so, instead continuing to help his wife in her recovery as he's done so far. we move on tonight to the other major headline of the day, the death of ledgendary penn state football coach joe paterno, who died of lung cancer today at the age of 85. from the moment the news broke, people gathered there on the campus visiting the famous statue honoring paterno, many placing flowers or saying a prayer. abc's david kerley is at penn state tonight with more on the life and the now tested legacy of joe paterno. >> reporter: he was born joseph vincent paterno in brooklyn, 1926, but penn state and the world came to know him simply as joe pa. joe paterno's record-breaking run as head coach of the nittany lions began in 1966, and he quickly distinguished himself with his team's winning ways on the gridiron and his players' academic success off the field.

"victory with honor" was his motto, and it wasn't long before the nfl took notice. but paterno, who was becoming a household name, stayed put in happy valley. >> i stayed because i felt this is where i would be happier and that i could do more good. >> reporter: the victories and the honor grew season after season, finally reaching an unparalleled 409 wins, 2 national titles and more than $4 million donated to the university by paterno and his wife sue, and paterno was immortalized with that larger-than-life bronze statue outside beaver stadium in state college. but paterno's accomplishments were dramatically eclipsed in november of 2011 when his former assistant coach, jerry sandusky, was arrested on child sex abuse charges, an explosive national scandal. word paterno might have known of the abuse but never went to police. the revelations toppled the icon in a matter of days. >> joe paterno is no longer the head football coach effective

immediately. >> reporter: his abrupt firing triggered an outcry on campus, angry students rioting. >> they made him look like a freaking villain. you call him a legend, treat him like a legend. >> reporter: but paterno appealed for calm and again told students to hit the books. in the midst of the turmoil, word came that paterno had another battle on his hands, lung cancer. two months after the scandal broke, his health declining, the former coach finally broke his silence giving his first interview to "the washington post." he described his reaction when first told of the abuse allegations. >> i called, you know, my superiors, and i said, hey, we got a problem, i think. would you guys look into it 'cause i didn't know, you know. i had never had to deal with something like that, and i didn't feel adequate. >> reporter: unsure how to handle the situation. >> i don't think i deviated from my -- what i'm all about and what i thought was important. >> reporter: in the end the interview did little to settle

the debate over paterno's role in the scandal. a legend tarnished, but a coach still beloved by so many. and that statue on campus, a wall along it reads, "joseph vincent paterno, educator, coach, humanitarian," and it's inscribed with his own words. "they asked me what i'd like written about me when i'm gone. i hope they write i made penn state a better place, not just that i was a good football coach." and moments after the announcement, we watched as supporters arrived here at the statue right behind us leaving those mementos you mentioned. we talked to many of them, and they admit that joe paterno's legacy was tarnished by one mistake, they say, but that his legacy will actually be treated well by history. one other note, david, the investigation continues. the prosecutor says he has not closed it. that could mean more defendants and more victims. already jerry sandusky and two school officials face criminal charges. david? >> all right, david kerley at

penn state where they're gathering there to honor the penn state coach. david, thank you. we turn to politics. "your voice, your vote" tonight and the south carolina surprise, the results rocking the republican race for the white house. newt gingrich pulling off a huge win beating mitt romney by 12 points, and when we started looking into the numbers behind the win, look at this, voters saying electability, who can beat obama in november, was by far the most important thing they were looking for in a candidate, and on that attribute, which had been a strong one for mitt romney, this time going to gingrich by a wide margin. abc's jon karl is in columbia, south carolina, with the results and the reaction tonight. >> all: newt, newt, newt. >> reporter: for newt gingrich, it was a smashing across-the-board victory that has upended the race for the republican nomination. >> we're going to make the establishment very uncomfortable. we're going to demand real change in washington. >> reporter: how did he do it? first, debates. by trouncing mitt romney and the moderators, he convinced south carolina republicans that he could win in november. two-thirds said the debates were important. most of them went for gingrich. more than half decided who to

vote for in the last two days again favoring gingrich, and there was apparently little concern about his divorces. he won decisively among evangelical christians and women. gingrich succeeded in portraying romney as a massachusetts moderate, trouncing him among those calling themselves very conservative. today gingrich stepped up his attacks on romney as someone who just pretends to be conservative. >> a very good salesman, very much wants to sell, but he has a really weak product, and so i think he's been dancing on eggs trying to figure out how to find a version of romney that'll work. >> reporter: as for romney, his support collapsed as he gave evasive answers about releasing his tax returns. >> time will tell. maybe. you know, i don't know how many years i'll release. >> reporter: today, romney finally gave a definitive answer. he will release his 2010 tax return and an estimate of his 2011 tax return on tuesday. >> we just made a mistake in

holding off as long as we did. it just was a distraction. >> reporter: as the race moves to florida, the romney campaign will aggressively try to make the case that gingrich has too much personal and professional baggage. >> character is a big part of leadership, as is vision, sobriety, steadiness. these are attributes which i think people want to see in their candidates. >> reporter: by unleashing a barrage of attacks on gingrich's temperament and on his character, romney and his allies are trying to demonstrate that gingrich fails the number one test for many republicans, finding the candidate most likely to beat barack obama. david? >> jon karl reporting in again tonight. jon, thanks to you. i want to bring in our senior washington editor, rick klein, and, rick, i want to widen out to the big picture here. we're going to have a big fight between romney and gingrich. but curious what the obama re-election team would like to see. who do they most want to run against come november? >> if president obama got to choose his opponent, it would be newt gingrich without question. even republicans are starting to worry that gingrich could drag down his fellow republican candidates if he's a presidential nominee, so

democrats are still training all of their fire on mitt romney, which actually could boost gingrich's chances in florida and beyond, but the lesson here, david, in these last couple of days is that when it comes to newt gingrich, be careful what you wish for. >> all right. all eyes on florida in the weeks ahead. rick klein tonight, thanks to you. and a reminder, diane sawyer and george stephanopoulos will anchor live coverage of president obama's state of the union address and the republican response. it's tuesday night beginning at 9:00 eastern right here on abc. we turn overseas now and searchers recovering another body today in that shipwrecked luxury liner off the coast of italy. a 13th victim of the disaster and more than a week now since that ship ran aground now comes new worries of the ship moving. abc's lama hasan is on the scene for us again tonight. lama? >> reporter: good evening, david. in a few hours officials here will decide if they can start pumping out more than 500,000 gallons of heavy fuel from the "costa concordia." it has been perched on a rocky underwater ledge for the last nine days slipping half an inch an hour.

protective booms have been deployed, but experts describe the situation as an ecological time bomb because the ship could easily plunge into waters 300 feet deep. because of the danger, rescue workers only searched above the water line today and recovered another body leaving at least 19 people unaccounted for. among the missing, minnesota couple barbara and jerry heil. their son and daughter were here on the island earlier today meeting with the ceo of the company that owns the "concordia," and he could only offer his support. david? >> lama, thank you. and still much more ahead on "world news" this sunday night. the new modern family. why "the waltons" might not be as outdated as you think. then the 9-year-old who escaped her kidnapper. and tonight she tells us what her father taught her that helped her escape. and later here, the silent movie in 2012 that might prove silence is golden.

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on if you need it. >> reporter: in all, seven members of the family, ages 5 to 85, all living under one roof. >> good night, elizabeth. >> good night, john boy. good night, jim bob. >> reporter: this kind of living arrangement used to be common in america. the great depression forced families to live together. remember "the waltons." >> somebody left her on our doorstep. >> is that where you found the rest of us? >> reporter: today, tough times mean more than 51 million americans are living in homes with more than two generations. this family is not only able to split the bills, but the responsibilities. >> and we have a lot of built-in baby-sitters. >> reporter: jessica's grandparents can watch little tony while her husband and parents earn the money. >> we got 95 e-mails. >> reporter: and jessica takes care of the home. >> if i'm going grocery shopping and my mom needs groceries, i just pick up her groceries. >> reporter: one survey found 82% of adults living in multi-generational households felt it enhanced family bonds.

experts say to make this work, it's important to have a clear division of labor and for everyone to have their own space, so this family built an addition. >> once you get a snapshot of how the house is designed, you know, we have our privacy. >> we love it having everybody here so -- >> good night, connie. >> good night, tony. >> good night, jess. >> good night, gramps. good night, gram. good night, mom. >> reporter: one house, four generations, seven happy people. >> good night, little tony. good night, jesse. >> reporter: linsey davis, abc news, sutton, massachusetts. >> good night, gramps. >> and our thanks to the family for inviting us in. and when we come back here tonight, the 9-year-old who escaped her kidnapper. she tells us what she learned from her father that helped her get away. no matter what small business you are in, managing expenses seems to... get in the way. not anymore. ink, the small business card from chase introduces jot an on-the-go expense app made exclusively for ink customers.

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and a follow-up now to the 9-year-old we told you about last night here who outwitted her kidnapper. calysta cordova is back home with her parents tonight still showing the bruises and the black eyes from her ordeal. she was abducted while walking home from school but eluded her captor at a convenience store, got away and called 911. our clayton sandell paid an exclusive visit to the family's home in colorado as friends came by to see calysta and one bringing a very popular gift. >> awesome. yes. >> wow! >> what is that? >> who is that? >> that's justin bieber. >> justin bieber. you're not a justin bieber fan, are you? >> thank you. >> yes, i am. >> and proud of it. calysta told our reporter, by the way, that in getting away from the kidnapper, she remembered simple words from her father. he had said to her to always stand up for yourself, and she

says that's what gave her the strength to get away and to make that call to 911. and when we come back here tonight, so much attention on that new silent movie, and so tonight we go back to the charlie chaplin days and back to the first silent movie we could find. lent movie we could find. people with a machine.

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and finally tonight here with the oscar nominations coming this week, so much attention on that new silent movie "the artist," and so tonight here we thought we would go way back to where it all started. ♪ it's believed that the first silent film on record could be this one from 1895. performed in thomas edison's film studio, a violin playing into a phonograph, just dancing, no words, those steps saying it all. from there thousands of films would be produced from "the birth of a nation" to slapstick comedies, so many from charlie chaplin. at the time as many as 800 silent films a year frome 20mov. it was october 6th, 1927 when the films of hollywood broke their silence. opening night for this movie known for breaking the barrier. you would hear the words. ♪ mammy >> reporter: believed to be the first movie with speech and sound and a smash hit at the box office, the movie's profits proof to an industry to talk even more. so eight decades later why the daring move to go back to a time

when facial expressions and dance moves said it all? "the artist" by hollywood standards is a small film shot in 35 days. the critics now celebrating its simplicity. one acknowledging he didn't know what we'd been missing all these years, what we've been bombarded with until he saw this. >> i looked at "the artist," and i thought, we're missing something now where everything is just shoved in our faces. >> reporter: just the brilliance of "the artist" is that they didn't do that. >> "the artist." >> reporter: already winning several golden globes, the lead actor even surprised that silence even in 2012 is golden. an agent once telling him he would never star in a movie because his face was too expressive. he found a part, and "the artist" is finding its place more than a century after those first films which silence said it all, and we'll all be watching those oscar nominations tuesday morning live on "good morning america." diane sawyer right back here tomorrow night.

good night. [cheering] >> oh, yeah, the 49ers' spirit is running high as san francisco takes on the new york giants in the nfc championship game. >> the game is underway right now. and the fans are pumped up because the niners are one game away from heading to the super bowl. >> we have team coverage. nick smith is live with fans at local bar and we're also live at candlestick park. >> we're getting reports of fans being ejected for things like smoking cigarette