this is "world news." tonight, scouts honor. a big change. the boy scouts poised to lift their ban on gay scouts and leaders. and tonight, former scouts step forward to speak out. >> i've served ten years on the camp staff and i am gay. out of the shadows. another sea change coming on immigration tonight. chixen pox. how did our own barbara walters get chickenpox? as she recovers, the message she's sending to tens of thousands of us at risk. and, real money. americans wasting so much money on food. our cameras surprise one family with what they're losing. >> that's pretty ridiculous. >> and we tell you how you can

put hundreds of dollars back in your wallet. and a good monday earning to you. we begin with a big change afoot in an iconic american institution. for generations, becoming a boy scout was an american tradition, but not for all. today, the boy scouts of america signaled they are ready to drop their ban on gay scouts and scout leaders. and abc's david muir is here to tell us why this ban may finally be ending. >> reporter: tonight, a spokesman for the boy scouts of america confirming to abc news, they are close to ending the ban on gays, scouts and leaders, meeting early next week. for more than 100 years, the boy scouts of america have been shaping young minds. but tonight, proof some of those young minds are now shaping the

very leaders at the top. the boy scouts of america could soon lift the ban on gay scout leaders and gay scouts themselves. it would effect scouts like ryan andresen of florida, who started as a cub scout at 6, earning all 21 merit badges in his lifelong dream of becoming an eagle scout. but after 21 badges, he told ellen the answer was no. >> so, you did everything you had to do. but they're saying they won't give it to you. >> yeah, just because i'm gave. >> and your mom started a petition. >> yes. >> i love mothers like. that is your mother in the audience? good for you. >> reporter: his mom and his dad starting that petition -- "boy scouts, don't let your anti-gay policy deny my son his eagle award." late today, i asked ryan's father what he makes of the boy scouts on the verge of a major change. >> well, the short answer is, it's about time. one of the points of the scout law is you have to be honest and thus wore think and these kids have not been allowed to do that.

>> reporter: families tell their stories like ohio mother jennifer tyrell's. >> suddenly, my life was badges and knots. >> reporter: but she says she was then fired by the local cub scout troop for being gay. told her sexual orientation did not meet the high standards of conduct, that it would be a distraction. >> well, i'm not a distraction. she's not a distraction. we are moms. and we are americans. >> reporter: her boy wiping away tears. but it's not just pressure from faces, families like this one. it's financial, too. support from some of the boy scouts biggest sponsors could be at stake if they don't change. but there is a divide in this country when it comes to allowing gay adults to be scout leaders. look at americans under 30. 60% say yes. americans older than 50, just 39% say yes. tonight, one religious leader saying a change in policy, nothing less than disastrous for the boy scouts of america. a real divide. announcement could come next week, but even if national leaders decide to drop the ban,

we heard something key today. a spokesman in a statement saying local chartered boy scout groups could still choose leaders, quote, consistent with their beliefs. and that parents could be able to choose a local unit that best meets their needs. a little bit of wiggle room there. >> all right, but we were talking earlier about the norman wok rockwell painting and you said the caption to that painting -- >> can't wait, right? >> can't wait. all right, david muir reporting in. and now, we move on, because tonight, we are learning more about that staggering loss of life during the fire in a nightclub in brazil. 231 people killed, no alarms, no sprinklers, no fire escapes. and tonight, american experts are studying this tragedy for the lessons that could save lives here at home. abc's matt gutman is in brazil at the scene for us tonight. matt? >> reporter: thank you, diane. this is the nightclub and those are the doors through which nearly 2,000 college students tried to squeeze through at that

fire raged, as you also see here where good samaritans and firefighters used sledge hammers to break through into the bathroom and try to drag people out here to safety. but the pain here is still very raw tonight. families shattered by tragedy, holding onto these coffins and those photos. all that's left tonight of loved ones. this, as tonight, arrests are being made. the club had no alarms, no sprinklers and no fire escapes. it was just after 2:00 a.m. sunday when this photo posted on twitter alleges to show the moment the band on stage fired pyrotechnics, quickly igniting the ceiling over some 2,000 club goers. flames and smoke spread fast. college students panicked, rushing to the only exit. witnesses say at first, security guards stopped people from leaving, thinking they hadn't paid their bills. in that dark chaos, hundreds crushed against the exit, dropping from smoke inhalation,

their bodies blocking the door. hundreds would die trapped. others used the bathrooms for exits. in 2003, it was the nightclub fire in rhode island, 100 dead, 40 jammed and killed at one door, when there were three other exits. >> you only have seconds for you to react and make a decision as what you're going to do. >> reporter: safety experts say whether you're headed to a movie theater, a restaurant, any place unfamiliar, there are lessons. first, look around. not just at how you came in, but at all the exits and how to reach them. research shows us that in the chaos, 80% of us will simply go with the flow. breaking from the crowd and reaching one of those other exits could save your life. if there is a fire, keep your body low. temperatures near the floor could be 1,000 degrees cooler, buying you time. diane, the air here still heavy with that smoke and all day, people have been leaving flowers and bouquets and standing over here, the mourning here has just begun in this town. diane?

>> all right, matt gutman on the tragic scene in brazil tonight. and from brazil, we head to egypt, where tonight, there is a caldron of unrest again. look. hundreds of protesters clashing with police, tear gas filling the air. and veteran journalist of our partners at the bbc was there, and he rushed us this report, just before the evening curfew descended. >> reporter: well, here people in the center of suez are preparing to defy the curfew that's just about to come into force. and as you can see, these people seem to have no intention of going anywhere and the signs are that it could turn violent once again tonight. this is where the deadliest protests were held last friday. ten people were killed as anger has really boiled over across egypt. against the president. many opposition parties feeling that he's trying to impose an islamist agenda on the country. what we've heard from the protesters is they will keep

coming out until the president steps down. >> amid the turmoil, aleem, thank you. and back here at home, a sign that washington is going to act on something together. four democrats, four republicans came together and issued a call to auction today on the 11 million undocumented immigrants living and working in america. and the president will weigh in tomorrow. abc's cecilia vega now on what they want to do. >> reporter: it would be a path to citizenship for the 11 million undocumented immigrants living in this county. a long, difficult path. >> let's create a system to bring them forward. allow them to settle their debt to society. >> reporter: here's how the sweeping proposal would work. undocumented immigrants would register with the government for temporary status. while their background checks are under way, they could immediately get right to work. there would be fines and back taxes to pay and immigrants applying for permanent residency

would have to get in line. the back of the line. citizenship could take as long as 15 years. and for the first time ever, obtaining legal residency would mean having to speak english and pass a civics test. there would also be a beefed up border. >> i think after the election, finally, the country's realizing that you cannot have two classes of people in this country. >> reporter: forei undocumented immigrants, it could mean no longer being in hiding. >> when an entire society is telling you blatantly that you are worth less than the people next to you, that hurts. >> reporter: for the recent college grad, being undocumented means not nothing if she'll be able to get a job. for her babysitter mother, it means not being able to return to peru to visit sick family. you used the word imprisoned? >> because it's a different kind of life that people who feel safe in this country and people

who, like me -- >> reporter: people like her who may soon come out of the shadows. cecilia vega, abc news, los angeles. and now, a modern health alert that began with someone at the center of our abc news family. barbara walters. we told you about her fall last week, fainting, injuring her head. well, we know tonight she's in the hospital with a case of chickenp chickenpox. something most of us think is a hazard only for children. but abc's chief medical editor dr. richard besser tells us, tens of thousands of adults can also be at risk. >> bar are has the chickenpox. yeah. >> what? >> apparently she never had it as a child. so, now she's being told to rest. she's not allowed any visitors and we're telling you, barbara, no scratching, okay? >> reporter: it's not as rare as you might think. if you are over 25, there's a good chance you didn't get the chickenpox vaccine, introduced in 1995. and if you didn't get the

vaccine, and never had chickenpox, you could be just like barbara. about 30,000 adults get chickenpox every year. it is spread through the air and contact with those itchy spots. if you have never had chixen pox and never had the vaccine, you might want to get to a doctor's office and get it now. adult chickenpox isn't just inconvenient. it can also lead to complications, like pneumonia, brain inflammation and bacterial infections. in barbara's case, chickenpox is causing that annoying itching. >> the spots will spread worse if you scratch them up. we love you, we miss you, we just don't want to hug you. >> reporter: and even if you had the chixen pox, you're still able to get shingles, which is caused by the same virus. there's a separate vac seep recommended for everyone over 60. the good news, barbara is doing great. but remember, adults have to worry not just about chickenpox, but also shingles. much more common, very painful. >> and come home soon, barbara. we are waiting for you here. thank you, rich.

and still ahead here on "world news," the average american family loses $190 a month on food. watch our cameras surprise one family with how much they waste. >> that's pretty ridiculous. >> and we'll also tell you how to put money right back in your wallet. real money, next. before copd... i took my son fishing every year.

we had a great spot, not easy to find, but worth it. but with copd making it hard to breathe, i thought those days might be over. so my doctor prescribed symbicort. it helps significantly improve my lung function starting within five minutes. symbicort doesn't replace a rescue inhaler for sudden symptoms. with symbicort, today i'm breathing better. and that means...fish on! symbicort is for copd including chronic bronchitis and emphysema. it should not be taken more than twice a day. symbicort may increase your risk of lung infections, osteoporosis, and some eye problems. tell your doctor if you have a heart condition or high blood pressure before taking it. with copd, i thought i'd miss our family tradition. now symbicort significantly improves my lung function, starting within 5 minutes. and that makes a difference in my breathing. today, we're ready for whatever swims our way. ask your doctor about symbicort. i got my first prescription free. call or click to learn more. [ male announcer ] if you can't afford your medication, astrazeneca may be able to help.

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and now, here is a new statistic for your life. americans throw away enough food every year to fill 730 football stadiums. and to bring it home, every average home, every household throws out $190 worth of food every month. so, we decided to take a look at what we're all doing and why and abc's amy robach found some quick ways to put that real money back in the family wallet. >> reporter: meet rececca dickinson, a stay at home mom feeding a family of four. >> you guys want something to drink? >> reporter: she makes breakfast, packs school lunches and cooks dinner for her two kids and husband jeff, who is a financial planner. what would you say your weekly food bill is? >> $300? >> all in? yeah, give or take. >> reporter: so you're looking at $1,200 to -- >> $1,400. >> reporter: $1,400, $1,500 a month. but how much of that monthly bill goes to waste?

to find out we set up a real money experiment, following the dickinsons for an entire week, setting up cameras in their shopping cart, the refrigerator, the pantry, even weighing their trash. so, we brought in marcus samuelsson, celebrity chef and owner of new york city's red rooster restaurant, for a little kitchen confidential. if you ran your kitchen the way most of america does, what would happen to your business? >> we could be closed. >> reporter: marcus and i watched what our cameras caught on tape and saw leftovers like taco meat and stews, to unused spinach and vegetables, all thrown away. now, here's a challenge. throwing out produce. >> when we think food doesn't look fresh, it probably has a couple more days to go. >> reporter: because the use by date, the sell by date is different from the expiration date. >> absolutely. >> reporter: which brings us to our first tip. learn the lyingo. "sell by" or "use by" doesn't mean "toss by." often you can eat it up to seven days later. and when we arrive at the dickinson's --

>> reporter: hello, nice to see you. i'm amy. we found rebecca about to throw our squash soup we witnessed her making a week ago. >> wow, that's a lot. >> reporter: same with the fish she made just a few days ago. >> i overestimated how much i was making. >> sure, that hatches a lot. >> reporter: our next tip, plan your plate. portions don't have to be supersized. a single serving of protein is just three ounces, the size of a deck of cards. and tip number three, where you store your food matters. zone your fridge. >> anything that has liquid, put it further down. >> reporter: the bottom is the coldest, where dairy, eggs and liquids should be kept. the top shelf and the doors tend to be warmer. so, what did our cameras find with our week with the dickin n dickinsons? >> don't feel bad. but you threw out 13 pounds of food in a week. >> oh, my god. >> holy cow. all right. >> that's pretty ridiculous. >> reporter: you are a finance

guy. you know what that means. >> it means money. >> reporter: for this family, about 25% of the food budget goes in the trash. that's $350 a month. by cutting the waste, they can save more than $4,000 a year. >> and that's real money! >> reporter: amy robach, abc news, morristown, new jersey. and coming up next here, the oscar countdown is on. but what was the dress last night that had everybody talking today? we solve a mystery in our "instant index," coming up.fe i. . transitions® lenses automatically filter just the right amount of light. so you see everything the way it's meant to be seen. maybe even a little better. visit your eyecare professional today to ask about our newest lenses, transitions vantage and transitions xtractive lenses. experience life well lit. ask which transitions adaptive lens is best for you.

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and tonight, in our "instant index," we invite you to celebrate a birthday of sorts for an american past time in almost every american home. take a look. 55 years ago, a danish toy maker submitted this patent for a tiny plastic brick. we now know them as legos. the name comes from a danish word that means "play well." > and we found one of the first commercials inviting the whole family to gather around for a wildly exciting night of fun with their legos. and, there was some serious heat at the white house today. miami heat. take a look. the fan in chief, president obama hosting the nba champs, including a very proud lebron james. >> i can say something? >> you can if you want. it's your world, man. >> we in the white house right now, this is like -- hey.

momma, i made it. >> mom, i made it, he said. in return, the heat offered the president a ten-day contract. miami heat jersey. and a kind of team photo. the 6'1" president dwarfed by the 6'8" james. and the countdown to oscar is on. did you see this last night at the screen actors guild? as jen for lawrence stepped up to receive her best actress award, the worried audience began to murmur that her dress seemed to separate there, but the dress maker, christian dior, said, relax, the dress is made with tiers, designed to separate and show a tulle net. quote, it was not ripped. there was no malfunction. and i think the louisville girl looked great. and what are you and your friends talking about every day? tweet me your thoughts and

pictures @dianesawyer. and coming up, why has he been crowned the perfect man? and what about his rival? our own david wright has the 200-year secret of being irresistible, ready to unveil. [ angry gibberish ] [ justin ] mulligan sir. mulligan. take a mulligan. i took something for my sinuses, but i still have this cough. [ male announcer ] truth is, a lot of sinus products don't treat cough. they don't? [ male announcer ] nope, but alka seltzer plus severe sinus does it treats your worst sinus symptoms, plus that annoying cough. [ angry gibberish ] [ fake coughs ] sorry that was my fault sir. [ male announcer ] alka seltzer plus severe sinus. [ breathes deeply ] ♪ oh, what a relief it is! [ male announcer ] try alka seltzer plus severe sinus day and night for complete relief from your worst sinus symptoms.

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and finally tonight, it is the 200-year anniversary of a book that cracked a vital code. the eternal secret of how a man can be irresistible to women. and our very own david wright opens the vault and the book and steps inside. >> reporter: the scene where mr. darcy takes the plunge fully clothed -- >> mr. darcy! >> reporter: that scene has

3 million views on youtube, the most popular "pride and prejudice" clip by far. >> it's all full of sex that's about to explode on us all. >> reporter: as a british sex symbol, mr. darcy is the opposite of james bond, rarely shaken or stirred. whether it's lawrence olivier or colin firth -- >> my affections and wishes are unchanged. >> reporter: -- he is the thinking woman's heartthrob. >> when i was about to play the part, everybody i knew was horrified and astonished. women i knew said, "don't! you'll ruin it forever!" >> reporter: no chance of that. there's now the bollywood version, "bride and prejudice," the zombie version and on the internet -- >> my name is lizzy bennett -- >> reporter: a version where mr. darcy maintains a twitter feed. tonight, we're in pasadena. southern california could not be more different from the world of jane austen and peopmberly.

but here, everyone is dressing the part. as one woman put it, this is the jane austen equivalent of a "star trek" convention. who knew? what is it about mr. darcy? i don't get it. >> you don't get it? well, you're a man. that's why. >> he admits when he's wrong, but he's strong in his opinion, and he's described as being pretty darn handsome. >> reporter: the courage to dance. david wright, abc news, pasadena. >> come back to earth, david. thank you for watching. we are always working for you at abcnews.com. "nightline" will be along later at its new time, 12:35 a.m. eastern. and we'll see you right back here tomorrow night. until then, have a great night.