breaking this hour egypt strikes back again isis in response to the murder of more than a dozen coptic christians. denmark in mourning following deadly attacks. new details on the suspected gunman. also as new records fall in the northeast, the u.s. south now braces for its own round of winter weather. welcome to our viewers here in the united states and all around the world. i'm rosemary church. >> i'm errol barnett. thanks for joining us. this is cnn "the newsroom." egypt's military says it has

bombed isis targets in elizabeth after the beheadings of 21 egyptian christians. the militant group released a gruesome video sunday showing the murders. >> we want to show a still image from the footage before the captives are killed. an english-speaking jihadist threaten egypt and anyone opposed to isis. ian lee on the line from cairo with the latest. what can you tell us about these air strikes reported on egyptian state television that have reportedly taken place in libya as a result of this? >> reporter: well we're not getting to many details right now but what the egyptian military and egyptian government has released. they have bombed areas around libya targeting warehouses targeting weapons depots of isis. we do not know exactly where the air strikes took place. we know that the air strikes were though in the early morning hours before the sun

comes up came up. the planes were f-16s flying over libya. as you said, this comes as a response to the 21 egyptian coptic christians that were killed in libya. we saw the gruesome video where they were paraded out on to the beach. some were saying, "oh, god, oh jesus," before they were beheaded. and there was a mill tan speaking in english, a message to more than just the country next door egypt but to the outside world, to europe libya is right on europe's doorstep. what this video showed of that isis in libya has -- was that isis in libya has a firm presence. they attacked a hotel last month in tripoli. and now this attack. this attack -- these beheadings were reminiscent of what we've seen in iraq and especially

with the production quality of the video showing that there is most likely coordination between the two. for egypt, it's -- contemplated what its next step would be. we do not know if this is going to be a prolonged mission or if this is going to be a one off. if this is prolonged, isis and libya's facing africa's largest military. we don't know if there will be further operations on the grown or if there will be air strikes. definitely if t prolonged, it would be something that could change the situation on the ground in libya. >> and this latest beheading is horrific. we only showed a still image from it. for the first time -- which is different from other beheading videos that isis has released, it shows the actual act, the gruesome act, the militants in

libya apparently linked or allied with isis. president asisi did condemn the attacks, met with the the council after the air strikes. do you think there could be other things in the works for later on monday? >> reporter: definitely possible. egypt has watched libya for a long time. it's very concerned about it. it shares a long border with the country. weapons have been supplied from libya going to the sinai peninsula. there's another isis militant organization. so egypt has been watching it very carefully. it's interesting to note that president asisi did come out quickly after the attack on egyptian television condemning it saying that they will take action. he called for seven days of mourning. this is the person though that

is unlike others when we've seen attacks against christians usually they don't say much or say it late. this was a very quick response to whpd in libya which could tell that egypt will do more militarily now that this has happened. >> that's our ian lee on the line from cairo with the development in to cnn this hour that the egyptian military saying it has carried out air strikes on targets in libya. we will wait to see if the president the does make an announcement on state television and keep our viewers posted on developments. cnn military analyst rick francona joy joinsnow joins me. rick this certainly a disturbing video. it's particularly worrying for a lot of reasons not the least of which is the reason that isis is expanding its territorial presence into libya. how well established do you think they are in the country?

>> there's been a radical islamist presence in libya for some time. what's worrying is now they are self self-identifying with isis. we see them coalescing into this one big organization called isis. and it presents a real problem because as this group expands, the west united states has to figure out how do we counter this. while we can come up with a military solution or military operation in a restricted area like syria and iraq what do we do in expanse to north africa? this presence a real challenge to the west. >> of course this is also a concern for europe given the close proximity to libya and the fact that the militant in that video says isis will take its fight rome or to european countries -- what do european countries need to be thinking about now? >> they're going to have to realize that isis is not just a

threat to interests in the middle east but it's going to spread to europe at the some time. we're seeing this as we've got these self-radicalized operatives in france. you see them in denmark. this is going to expand, it's going to continue. countries like england who have a large muslim presence have got to be very worried about this. england, france germany, it's going to spread, it's going to get worse. the big question is does it finally come to the united states. and everybody is watching this. what do we do now to confront this? do we wait or do we act? >> and some analysts thought isis had lost its momentum. but clearly this gruesome five-minute video appears to show that's not the case. what's your reading on that? >> well, it's interesting. if you look be at what happened in the aftermath of the emulation of the joe danean pilot

-- jordanian pilot -- it singed those of us in the west but increased the recruiting power of isis. we've seen thousands of people flock to join isis after this. we've seen other organizations swear allegiance to isis. so this had the opposite effect that we thought it was going to have. so not -- isis is not down, this did not hurt them this actually increased their capability to attract new recruits. me to recruits means people -- new recruits means team can send to the battlefield. you know what they do when they send recruits to the battlefield, they become the suicide bombers that are very effect whiffive when they attack places. in the anbar province they're starting to use suicide bombers to attack the air base. >> all right. rick francona a big concern. thanks for joining us and bringing your analysis to us. we appreciate it. now this -- many in copenhagen are in mourning today after two deadly shooting attacks over the weekend. police killed the 22-year-old

suspect in a shoot theout. they say he had been on their radar for a while because apparently he a criminal past. >> yeah. and thousands of people are leaving flowers as a memorial in front of the synagogue where one person was gunned down on sunday morning. ten hours earlier, the gunman stormed a cafe holding a free speech forum. a controversial cartoonist thinks he was the target. he wasn't hurt but another man was killed. meanwhile, police are releasing more information about the dead suspect including details on his criminal past. we'll bring in carl penhall live from colen hagen. what are we learning about the 22-year-old suspect. >> reporter: good morning to you. first of all i want to locate you where we are. just over any shoulder is the cafe where the gunman arrived mid-afternoon saturday, and he sprayed the front of the cafe

with an automatic weapon. you can probably even make out just as light as coming here to copenhagen about 24 bullet holes in the store window where they were having that seminar on art, blasphemy, and freedom of speech that was cut short boy this gun attack. overnight, what danish police are telling us they're adding to when we -- a few fax we're already getting about the gunman who was shot dead yesterday morning. 22 years old, born in denmark, but of arab origin. now police say he was very much on their radar already. not because of any known ties to jihadist extremist factions nor do police say that they have any evidence that he traveleded to syria or to iraq to fight with any of the factions there. but they know him as a violent criminal. in fact they said only recently he was released from prison where he served a jail sentence for stabbing a fellow commuter

on a copenhagen commuter train. they also say in that he had a record of weapons violations and also that he was a member or had been a member of a gang here in copenhagen. so certainly on their radar as a criminal but not necessarily on their radar as a potential gee haddist. >> that's what might be -- jihadist. >> that's what might be surprising to those of us who want to immediately connect to mediterranean. he wasn't radicalized overseas. i'm wondering what officials make of this profile considering that. when might his motive have been? >> reporter: denmark is a small country, about 5.5 million population. does have a muslim population muslims started a riot in the '60s and '70s. then in the '80s and '90s, waves of asylum-seekers as well.

there's a varied muslim population here. and according to danish intelligence about 110 danish or danish residents have left to fight in syria, for example. we do know there has been a radicalization there. pertinent to perhaps this case, the fact that danish police say that he had a gang link in his past. and that is really where the danish situation gets interesting because danish intelligence does say that there is an overlap between the number of muslim gangs who operate here in copenhagen and other danish cities and also the way that some of those gang members have subsequently traveled to syria or to iraq to fight factions there. there is an overlap. some of the muslim gangs, for example, we're told go by the name black cobras the black scorpion the international club and the brothers. we're not sure which gang this 22-year-old may have belonged to in the past.

but certainly a strong link near denmark latest to between muslim gang activity and islamic radicalism. >> karl penhaul. daybreak there, a quarter past 8:00 in the morning. we'll see you next hour and talk more about other individuals taken into custody in connection with all of this as well. thanks for now. rosemary? we want to shift now to the weather and the united states and residents in the u.s. northeast bracing for more stormy weather while still recovering from this weekend's blizzard after a fourth storm in three weeks of the boston marked its snowiest month since recordkeeping started in 1872 with more than 115 centimeters of snow which is nearly four feet. >> how do you cope with that you will? how do you get on with your day? consider this windchill warning in effect in massachusetts, new york and some other states nasty weather expected to impact millions from the central u.s.

to the mid-atlantic coastline. meteorologist pedram javaheri joins us with more. it's not over yet, is it? i mean there's another, what a fifth storm coming in as well? >> potentially. absolutely looks to be the case. just no break for these folks across boston. it's easily one of the most memorable or forgettable depending how you look at it seasons in recorded history. you take a look. zero is what it feels like in chicago. that sounds cold. then you move your way to the most densely populated corner of the united states minus 28. what it feels like in boston. minus 14 with the windchill in new york city this hour. and one of those seasons i think that even through april, maybe may we will still have snow on the ground across the northeastern united states. so right now, boston sitting as the top three snowiest season of all time a half inch off of becoming top two. that happen the next couple of days. another foot above that and it would be the snowiest season of all time. it is already the snowiest february on record. before storms that rosemary told you about, you look at the numbers, 20-plus inches the

initial one, a foot and a half a little over a foot. then again a foot and a half. this is what should have about 28 inches. this is what you have in boston nearly 96 inches. that's why it's a big deal. family across boston this hour, my cousin visiting, trying to fine a school for her daughter in massachusetts. these were the scenes near some of the campuses. look at the icicles. dangerous situation, of course, life threatening windchills if you were to spend time outdoors for a prolonged period. and to the southern united states about 70 million people underneath a winner weather advisory or warning as dangerous and crippling ice storm potentially in the works here. in fact any time you get above a half inch or so of ice accumulations, widespread power outages, extensive damage. of course trees begin coming down. look at the forecast from little rock to memphis, tennessee. the areas here in the pink indicate/4 inch to one inch -- indicate 3/4 to one inch double what you need bring down power lines. dangerous situation to the south. the next storm system guess where it wants to park by tuesday and wednesday -- the

northeastern u.s. yet again. so not getting a break across the region. we are counseling down to spring and 32 days -- we are counting down to spring and 2 days away. >> sure are. it's looking dangerous and totally miserable. many thanks. >> see you later. you are kicking off your week with us on "cnn newsroom." after days of ferocious attacks, a cease-fire appears to be holding in eastern ukraine despite reports of artillery fire near a heavily contested town. later, who will be the big winners at the academy awards this year? we will talk oscar predictions. ♪ t-mobile's network has more data capacity per customer than verizon and at&t it's a network that puts data were you need it most a network designed data strong

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welcome back. a fragile truce appears to be holding in eastern, crane. it's been over 24 hours since a cease-fire went into effect. observers say the region is relatively calm for the most part. >> artillery fire was heard near the town where ukraine's military says pro-russian rebels fired at army posts. the organization for security and cooperation in europe says separatists are blocking monitors from accessing the town:let's get the latest on the cease-fire. cnn's frederick pleitgen reports from mariupol ukraine. >> reporter: this is the front line between pro-russian separatists and ukrainian forces. if you look down there, you see

that everything is full of tank barriers to stop some all is that might have happened. the good news is that so far since the beginning of the see, the forces here tell us there hasn't been a single attack on this checkpoint. there's been no shelling. everything has been quiet. however, that doesn't mean that it was this way in the run-up to the cease-fire. in fact sources here tell us the fighting that occurred here before the cease-fire went into place was some of the heaviest they'd seen since the beginning of the conflict. >> translator: the situation was very intense. there was bombing and shelling of our position everyday. since midnight of the 15th of february there have not been any hits. there was shelling in the distance but it didn't target our position. >> reporter: there's considerable destruction in many of the villages here around the front line. one of the things we've seen is since the cease-fire went into place, more and more civilians are coming out. we spoke to two people going

from this area across to the side of the pro-russian separatists. they've been here for two weeks. they couldn't yet across. now they managed to buy food and medication and are able to go back home. they were clearly very emotional about what's going on in their country. >> do you believe the cease-fire has a chance to survive? >> >>. >> reporter: "all we want is peace," this woman says. appears as though for now the cease-fire is holding. that doesn't mean it's also going stay that way. one of the thing that we've seen is that it appears as though ukrainion forces are effort -- ukranian forces are fortifying the position. they clearli. to dig in. they will openly tell you they don't trust the cease-fire. however, civilians in in this area of course, will say that gaends against all odds they do hope the truce will hold. >> fred pleitgen there. want to bring in erin mclachlan from moscow with the latest on another round of talks by the

normandy quartet. so erin that round of talks is expected russia ukraine, france, and germany. first, what was discussed in that phone call between some of the members of the normandy quartet? >> reporter: hi rosemary. they discussed the enforcement of the cease-fire with a special emphasis on the situation unfolding in the city that's the transport hub, the separatists claim they have completely surrounded. they're also saying that the cease-fire doesn't apply to the city because the city is theirs. it seemed to be countered by the phone call where they said the cease-fire is comprehensive. the osce monitors were turned away yesterday. they're going to try again

today. the concern being that any violations of the cease-fire in the city could potentially lead to violations elsewhere. meanwhile, today we're expecting to see the beginnings of the withdrawal of heavy weaponry on all sides creating the demilitarized zone that's stipulated in the agreement that the contact group assigned that process expected to be completed within two weeks. so very tense moments here. the next 48 hours, people are saying are going to be critical. rosemary? >> that very closely -- erin thanks to you. want to bring in fred pleitgen from eastern ukraine. you saw his report moments ago. if we were listening to erin, this really is a critical moment for the conflict. if monitors can't get in to the strategically important town, how can the cease-fire even be verified? how can it hold? >> reporter: it certainly is a

difficult situation. you're absolutely right. with the osce monitors especially in the town, if they don't get in it it will be difficult to monitor what's going on. by and large, however, and this might seem strange to some people the osce and the ukrainians as well are saying they believe that the cease-fire is actually holding in most places. this is a difficult case because it's all but encircled boy the pro-russian separatists. so therefore they say it should be their territory. ukrainians for their part are saying they won't give it up. the latest information that we've gotten from the region is that apparently there's absolutely no sign of either side moving away its heavy weapons from the area. in fact if anything, it appears as though there's more heavy weapons moving in. however, even with the fighting that's going on there it still is considerably less than it would have been a couple of days ago or only yesterday, in fact. what we've learned from the ukrainian side is that the -- they say that there have been about 119 infringeless of the

cease-fire so far. they say most have happened in the area. here in mariupol where i am there's been infringements of the cease-fire. there was fighting going on but it is considerably more quiet than it is in -- than it has been over the past couple of days. also here as well we don't see any sign of either side pulling away its heavy weapons from the front line. appears at this point in time especially with the situation in some places still contested, neither side seems to have the trust and faith to start pulling back. >> fred pleitgen live in mariupol ukraine, as we sit and wait to see if the buffer zone does in fact come in to place, if we see each side pull their weaponry back. today is the day when that needs to be seen and verified. as fred said there, for the most part, the cease-fire is holding. they want to know about some of the last details. >> everyone sort of weary and cautious. back in september, it didn't last for very long. >> that's right. >> holding our breath and hope

that it does. let's take a short break now. still to come here on cnn "newsroom," a live report on the huge celebration for one of north's former leaders and who may be missing from this year's party. at t-mobile, get a sweet tablet on us. right now, when you get a new data plan, you can also get our most popular 7 inch tablet with no money down and no monthly payments.

rvelg . a warm welcome back.

despite kim jong-il passing in 2011 north tons celebrate his birthday in a pretty huge way. >> yeah, in fact today is known as the day of the shining star in the country. we've seen fireworks, parades, dancers, even sporting events. what's unclear is if china sent an johnson voi commemorating what would have been his 73rd birthday. relations between the nation vs. cooled since china supported u.s. sanctions against north. >> paula hancocks is live from seoul on the latest and north's relationship with china. paula, let's start with that. of course it's very difficult to confirm whether or not china sent an onvictoria as we mentioned -- an envoy as we mentioned. but the cooler relationship between the nations, china once of the great support, great ally of north. but it is cooling that relationship isn't it?

>> reporter: that's right. i mean, china still is the main ally of north. it's still effectively keeping it afloat economically with all the they'd it sends in. we've certainly seen the -- the relationship cool since kim jong-un took power just over four years ago. we saw comjong-il -- saw kim jong-il traveling to the country, but until now he hasn't visited beijing. we don't know if he's been invited to beijing. the relations aren't as warm as they once were. one of the reasons is the nuclear tests that were carried in 2013. china had wanted pyongyang to -- ton do this test but pyongyang had gone ahead and done it anyway. china supported sanctions against north which is not something it usually does. and then of course remember that kim jong-un executed his

uncle who was effectively known as north's man in china. had very close ties to china. so really the sides we have seen have -- have driven, really drifted apart over recent years since kim jong-un took power. still they are definitely strong allies. >> paula hancocks from seoul, south korea, on this day. the big birthday celebrations in north. many thanks to you. still to come for you here on cnn, he's no stranger to controversy or death threats. coming up a profile of the cartoonist believed to have been the target of this weekend's attacks in copenhagen. plus we'll have a look at some of the films looking to win big at this year's academy award.

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you are watching cnn "newsroom." thank you very much for staying with us. i'm errol barnett. >> i'm rosemary church. we want to check the headlines for you this hour. egypt's military has launcheded air strikes against isis targets in libya. this is video of egyptian jets taking off on their missions. the attacks are a response to the isis murder of 21 egyptian christians. isis released a grisly video of them being beheaded on a libyan beach. copenhagen police say the man behind this weekend's deadly attacks have been on their radar for a while because he'll broken gun laws and was involved in gang activity. officers kill him during a shoot-out at his home. wasn't far from the synagogue where he's believed to have killed one man. ten hours earlier, police say he

opened fire at a free speech forum killing one person there. the crucial next steps in the ukraine cease-fire should be underway this hour. pro-russian separatists and ukrainian troops are expected to start pulling back heavy weapons from the front lines today. in the 24 hours since taking hold monitors say the truce has been respected for the most part. on the eve of today's crucial meeting of eurozone finance ministers, thousands of people rallied in greece. they called for a revision of harsh austerity policies. prime minister tsipras says he's confident there will be progress in renegotiating greece's debt. the man believed to have been the target of saturday's shooting at that cafe in denmark is cartoonist lars vilks. >> he's on al qaeda's hit list for his depicts of the prophet muhammad and spent several of last years with a bounty on his head. we have more. >> reporter: this is what

happened when swedish artist lars vilks spoke at an art and free speech lecture in 2010. [ screams ] >> reporter: he was punched at the podium amid cry sies that descended into a brawl. an occupational hazard for him. he receives daily death threats and regularly sweeps his car for explosives all because of a picture he drew in 2007 as the prophet muhammad as a dog. that landed him on al qaeda's hit list with $100,000 bount oh his head. here's how he explained it in a 2010 interview -- >> this should be a small thing really. a religion -- you cannot make exceptions for religion. i mean that's the point. i mean this should be -- the same rules as we have for christianity or the jewish religion or whatsoever. that we should make an exception to them. islam is not more holy than the

other ones. >> reporter: but vilks did not start the latest round of kefrgz. in 2005 the danish newspaper published cartoons of the prophet muhammad including one with a bomb atop the prophet's head sparking protests from muslim communities across the world. for many muslims, any image of the prophet muhammad is seen as blasphemous, even worse, depictions that deliberately insult the prophet. cnn has decided not to show any of please -- any of these images. for vilks and supporters, it's about free speech. that's why he was speaking on sudden when a gunman opened fire killing one man and injuring three police officers. danish police shot dead a man suspected of carrying out the attack but have yet to reveal his identity or motive. police are investigating it as a terrorist attack. vilks and his supporters, however, already have an answer -- they believe vilks and his

works of art were will the targets of violence yet again. cnn, london. another arab nation is joining the coalition air strikes targeting isis in syria and in iraq. a number of bahraini warplanes have landed in jordan to help in the fight. last week the united arab emirates sent a group of fighter jets to jordan to join the air strikes, as well. meanwhile, isis still has a stronghold on the iraqi town of sinjar. fighters are engaged in battles with isis milltance we have more live from erbil. you spent time in sinjar further west from where you are now. they fled from the location last august. how strong of a hole now does isis have of the city? >> reporter: it's interesting for all the territorial gains that kurdish peshmerga forces have made in the region taking back land that was taken by isis

some 800 square kilometers in all, kurdish forces have stopped short at major towns and cities in the region. the peshmerga, it would seem are not interested in urban warfare, not alone not without the iraqi army. so sinjar is one of those towns that remains totally under isis control. what we saw there suggests that isis is using sinjar as a gateway, a logistics hub for moving supplies fighters from across the border in syria to the territory it still controls in northern iraq. sinjar is mostly empty, blackened and battered by war. isis holds the town firmly. from a pesh managera position -- peshmerga position we hear aircraft. you see smoke rising above the town. there is the occasional burst of small arm fire from the streets, and there is a surprising amount of traffic coming in to the main

road from the west from the direction of the syrian border toward sinjar and isis-controlled territory. cars and heavy trucks an endless stream moving at high speed. proof the coalition has not achieved its goal of stopping isis from moving fighters and supplies across the syrian border. the arrival of isis last august triggered a panicked stampede. much of the population hundreds of thousands, lit up the slopes of neighboring mt. sinjar. they found safety from isis but no food and water no shelter from the scorching heat. some remain on the mountain. most have moved on. many others have disappeared. this fighter says he hasn't seen his brother or nephew since isis entered the town. at a large refugee camp in kurdish iraq now full of people from sinjar we hear stories about disappearances. this woman and her niece were captured by isis.

rahida says they killed the men. she saw her cousin beheaded. both say they were moved repeatedly with other sinjar women first to skpooerp then back to isis areas in iraq. wahida says she saw women being raped again and again. dima just 13, says she was kept with other young girls who were told to embrace islam and marry isis fighters. she tells me one girl refused, and they cut off her hand. they were held separately but escaped at the separate times while the guard slept. like almost everyone from sinjar they follow the religion especially loathed by isis. yazidis are scattered in camps like this waiting for isis to be driven from their towns and villages. wahida and dima says they will never go back to sinjar because they will never forget when they saw and would never feel safe

there again. the peshmerga have cleared other yazidi villages occupieded by isis. what they've found that isis has left behind in many places are mass graves. at the moment the peshmerga are not planning a major operation to liberate sinjar. could be months before the horrors that took place are revealed. at the moment there's no way of knowing how many men were murdered how many women were abducted by isis. >> we should note those peshmerga fighters have done such a commendable job in pushing back isis fighters from the locations they have. indeed that fight continues. live in northern iraq at ten:40 in the morning there. thanks. a brutal police takedown is caught on tape. ahead, how the indian government has become involved in the incident between a grandfather and officers in the u.s. state of alabama.

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citing a suspicious person. when they found mr. patel, things quickly escalated. police dash cam captured the incident and what happens next may be hard for some of you to watch. >> i think this is hard for everyone to watch. as another vehicle arrives, this happens -- the 57-year-old slammed to the ground on his face. we should note that he didn't speak english. he couldn't understand what they were saying and obviously vice-versa. the offending officer, eric parker turned himself in on thursday. he phase a charge of -- faces a charge of misdemeanor third-degree assault. madison's police chief was quick to condemn the actions of the officer. >> today mr. parker was served with proposed disciplinary action according to the madison city policies and procedures. i propose termination. >> earlier, our colleague john vause spoke to patel's lawyer. >> he started by asking sherrod how the 57-year-old grandfather was recovering from his

injuries. take a listen. >> mr. patel is -- is improving. he's being transferred to a rehabilitation center tomorrow. he's got improving grip strength in both of his hands. his right leg is getting stronger. his left leg, you know it has a lot further to go. but it's still improving, just more slowly. >> reporter: you've filed a lawsuit arguing police used excessive force, had no reason to stop mr. patel. given the video evidence if nothing else it would seem to be a fairly open-and-shut case. >> it would against the officer. i can't argue with you. i'm sure the officer will claim mr. pa dell something we -- patel did something we can't see on the video. >> you goat court, what are you -- you get to court, what are you asking for? >> full compensation. of course, that's not even know

now. hopefully he's going to make a full recovery. but he has a long road to go. and in these cases, juries frequently award punitive damages to punish the officer for the conduct. and to send a message of accountability to other officers who might need the message. >> in it terms of what's happened to the police officer who was at the center of this not only has he been fired, but he's facing third-degree assault charges, the fbi is investigating, as well. is that enough? >> it is not enough. there's two things that are important here. first, the police department on monday before we forced really the public forced them to do what they did, they were trying to blame mr. patel. they put out a press release said things that were not true. clearly weren't true based on the video evidence that they had at the time they did this press release. and then second, they only

charged him with third-degree assault. that is a misdemeanor. this was a felony assault. serious bodily injury resulted. this is a way, way undercharge -- no citizen who assaulted somebody and paralyzed them would be charged with a mere misdemeanor. >> how are the family, mr. patel's family how are they coping? they must be incredibly happy if nothing else because of the outpouring of support they've received from the indian american community. >> actually they've received support from all over america. they really have. all over the world. i mean it's been strongest in the indian american community, and it's been very heartwarming. it's been amazing to experience as their lawyer. >> and they've raised how much so far toward the health care costs? >> it's over $160,000 right now. >> okay. that's good to see. they'll need every penny i guess. hank sherrod, we appreciate you being with us. thank you, sir. >> glad to be here.

thank you. if you'd like to contribute to mr. patel's medical fund, just head to gofundme.com/m757pw. you see the address on the screen. >> the website has medical updates on patel's condition and a running tally on the funds raised so far.

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hollywood's biggest night is now less than a week away. the academy awards honor achieveless in the film industry -- achievements in the film industry. >> the big question everyone asks -- who will dominate at the ceremony. we know someone with an inside scoop. film critic richard fitzwilliams joins us from london to talk about this. i'll admit i haven't seen any of the movies. going to get that out of the way. you say that "birdman" and "boyhood" should be the twounz watch. "birdman" -- ones to watch. "birdman," michael keaton a struggling actor trying to revive his career. nine nominations is huge. why do you think this became a top contender? >> there's absolutely no doubt. it's a marvelous movie with a fabulous performance by michael keaton. it's savagely funny and touching. it's about this actor at the peak of a film career his career crashed and he attempts a disastrous comeback on broadway.

it's a movie that could win. i ought to emphasize it's going to be three, the marvelous -- "boyhood," the marvelous story filmed over 12 years by director richard linkleiter likely to win best director. "boyhood" is a favorite. a unique and wonderful film. "birdman" could win. and that's what makes this such a dramatic year when i have to say it's noted and also i'm delighted to mention that most of the movies which have been short listed for best picture, eight of them have cost under $25 million. so it's a year for low-budget movies. this is the drama. if "boyhood" could be beaten "birdman" will do it and there's one pointer because in the screen actors guild, the producers and the directors guild, it's been "birdman," and the last film that failed to win

best picture who won in all three guilds was "apollo 13" in 1995. so it could be close for best picture. >> and richard i do want you to go out a limb and tell chief justice you think is likely to win -- tell us which you think is likely to win. when you mentioned "boyhood," that took 12 years to film which is extraordinary. it was a long movie. i did see that one. it was particularly long. but i do want you first to tell us which do you think will win? >> definitely i think it's going to be "boyhood." but the excitement is that "birdman" could to it because this is a year where we do think we know who's going to win in the best acting categories. certainly eddie redmane, professor stephen hawking in "the theory of everything." and julianne moore for "still alive." j.k. simmons in "whiplash," will win best supporting actor. inspirational, sadistic teacher

and superb -- patricia arquette best supporting actress for "boyhood." these i think are more or less certainties. it's for the best picture that keeps the tension going. >> sadistic and superb. i don't think i've heard that description with both words in the same sentence. one thing we're missing, i haven't hear you talk about "the grand budapest hotel. " doesn't it also have a high number of nominations? are those not the -- the key categories i guess? >> well, this is part of the froth of it and part also the fact that it's -- the momentum toward the ceremony people count the numbers of nominations. in fact, a movie with loss of nominations coulden up with very few -- could end one very few. "the grand budapest motel" has made a lot of money. most of the movies in contention for best picture, four only out of eight, have grossed over $100 million. it's a popular movie. a delightful creation by director wes anderson of a surreal area in europe between the wars. i think it will pick up nominations in the lesser

categories. winners in the lesser categories. i don't think it's going to do particularly well. comedies don't tend to win at the oscars. only eight have since 1929. so it won't win. it will be popular, and it's a likeable movie. well worth seeing. all of them are, by the way. this is a year where there's quality. but "selma," a lot of people are perturbed that the actor brilliant as martin luther king didn't get a nomination for best actor. and the first african-american female director to be nominated failed to get a nomination in the best director category. i think that was unfair. >> yeah. we'll be watching and see what happens there. richard fitzwilliams thank you very much for joining us. we appreciate it. >> thanks, richard. >> i have movies to see. >> a bit of catchup. a tv institution is celebrating a millstone. we've been hearing "live from new york it's saturday night"

for 40 years. >> celebrities like robert de niro chris rock many all with ties to "snl" in new york for the 95 special. former host justin timberlake and former cast member jimmy fallon sang their way through four decades of "snl." >> we are -- sglooer -- >> we are -- >> we are -- >> we are -- >> we are two wild and crazy guys. ♪ >> love that. "saturday night live" has been home to more than 130 performers since it began in 1975 and launched dozens of careers. you are watching "cnn newsroom." i'm rosemary church. >> i'm errol barnett. we're not going anywhere. another hour of the biggest stories ahead. at t-mobile, get a sweet tablet on us. right now, when you get a new data plan, you can also get our most popular 7 inch tablet with no money down and no monthly payments.

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egypt retaliates after the group beheads more than a dozen coptic christians. >> more on a lone suspect after a pair of deadly shootings in copenhagen's capital. and record snowstorms in boston. now bone-chilling cold. welcome to our viewers in the united states and around the world. i'm rosemary church. >> i'm errol barnett. this is "cnn newsroom."