good morning, america. the monster storm hitting the west coast will be the biggest one in years. massive rainfall could cause deadly mudslides and a major snowstorm targeting the eastern half of the country, as much as a foot of snow headed for the northeast. ginger is live in california. new this morning, radiation leak. investigators revealing a serious problem at a nuclear waste facility in new mexico. 13 workers exposed to radiation. the cause of the leak still unknown. heads-up. new evidence one of the most popular sports in the country could be dangerous for your kids. why soccer players are seen with the same head injuries as seen in pro football. roll out the red carpet. it's almost time for oscar. one-on-one with ellen. she reveals what she wants people to remember about

hollywood's biggest night as the race for best picture heats up, "gravity" versus "american hustle" and could "12 years a slave" walk off with it all? we're live in l.a. with exclusive access in the dolby theatre. here we go. >> good morning, america! ♪ ♪ i wake up to the city of angels to see my name is lights ♪ >> ellen seemed like she was wondering if it was a good morning. good morning to all of you. we have robin out there right now in l.a. she's in the dolby theatre before the oscars. the only camera let inside. and good to see you inside and dry. that weather getting so tough out there. >> oh, george, it is coming down, but it is not the rain is not dampening the excitement building inside oscar central. we are standing in front of the main orchestra section but this is all we can show you. top secret operation right now. those white cards behind me,

well, they're pictures of the stars on them who will sit in those seats all turned over so no one can see them. oscar people all around me making sure we're following protocol because we want you to be surprised. we want you to be surprised. we have so much to bring you this morning including our one on one with one with ellen just hours before she is set to take that stage right up there. we do begin in southern california. it has been raining hard all night, the bigge storm in years taking hold across the region. ginger is here with me about 30 miles east in glendora, california. good morning, ginger. >> hey, good morning, robin. the reason we're in glendora is because they have the sandbags out. they have k.-rails in place. we are right in the foothills of the mountains here where if they get flash flooding, they may see mud slides and this would help protect their property. again, this is a huge storm. it is not just here in southern california but been battering northern california. that's just the front in front of the actual storm, which you

can see, that kurle cue. we have gusts and already have in grape vooin, california. 90 miles per hour this morning. the water potential. this storm has only just begun. rock slides and recks on the roads from san jose to malibu, california. while others east of los angeles were bracing for impact. >> dirt, rocks mud and water and it's going that way. >> reporter: ahead of the deluge, two california foothill communities told to pack up and leave. >> they've come by with loudspeakers announcing mandatory evacuation. >> the fear. devastating mudslides, almost all of california parched by historic drought. add 2,000 acres of freshly

torched land from last month's wildfires and it's a recipe for destruction. that dry and charred earth no longer has vegetation, the burn scars stripping the land's ability to absorb water. the only place for rain to flow downhill taking with it tons and tons of damaging and potentially deadly debris. >> that's a pretty big hill and there's a lot of earth that can come down. >> reporter: more than a thousand homes are now in the impact zone. before evacuating their houses folks were piling up sandbags and lining the streets with cement barriers, hoping to direct all that mud and debris away from their property. so let's talk about timing because this storm the only just beginning. and you can see it sliding down the coast as that actual low pressure system gets closer. tomorrow morning, i think, southern california will feel a lot of the other affects. and then by oscar sunday itself, lingering showers. as this goes east, robin, some snow for midwest and northeast. >> all right, ginger. it's good to have you out here with me. they rolled out the red carpet early to protect it from all that is happening right now.

you mention act that snow and those icy conditions. go back to lara now to talk more about that. lara? >> robin, in the midwest they're dealing with it too in the way of bitter cold and deep freeze they're suffering through is creating a huge problem in some areas. abc's alex perez is live in wilmington, illinois, with more on that. good morning to you, alex. >> reporter: hey, good morning, lara. take a look around me. there is ice as far as the eye can see. i'm actually standing at the shoreline, but this behind me here is posed to be a river. but the cold temperatures have created all of this. here in the chicago area we've actually gone more than 60 days with the temperature this season below freezing so as you might imagine, that is creating some major problems. there are waterways across the midwest that are jammed up with ice and it's not over yet. more cold, more snow expected in the midwest tonight and into the weekend. when we do get a warmup, the big concern there will be flooding. it seems we can't catch a break around here. lara? >> all right, alex. not over yet. thank you.

george? boy, no letup at all. we move overseas to the growing crisis in ukraine. the former president who fled the country is expected to speak out for the first time this morning as armed troops aligned with russia have taken over an airport and a government building raising the prospect of civil war. abc's chief foreign correspondent terry moran tracking all the breaking developments from moscow right now and, terry, you see these troops out there at the airport and other government buildings. there is a fear that russia might get involved. >> reporter: absolutely, george. good morning to you. what's happened in this whole part of the world today is mysterious and dark and more than a little dangerous as you point out. around dawn this morning, those bands of uniformed armed troops took over two big airports in the crimean region where they had that revolution trying to pull away from moscow. the people in this crimean region want to stay close to moscow. those armed men according to alex marquardt, our colleague in that region, no insignias on

their uniform. some kind of command structure. radio, well armed, well organized. there were rumors flying about they might have been sent from russia. but it seems more likely that they are local cadres coming to the rescue of a region they think is in danger. >> definitely trying to send a message. meantime, we are going to hear ed from foblt ub from the former ukraine president this morning as he's under threat from a new investigation from swiss prosecutors. >> reporter: well, this is a man whose gigantic corruption has been exposed for all the world to see. the pictures of his home were frankfully disgraceful. but he is still the constitutional head of that country he says and he is determined to win russia's backing for a try at power. the situation here is a tinder box. george? >> thanks very much. let's get today's other top stories from josh. new concerns now about a story we brought you yesterday. a radiation leak at the nuclear waste facility in new mexico. investigators now admit that the problem is serious. more than a dozen workers have been exposed. abc's john muller has been tracking this for us.

good morning, john. >> reporter: good morning, investigators know this much, a container of radioactive waste leaked underground at the waste isolation pilot plant or w.h.i.p. now more tests being ordered on anyone who came in contact with the site. >> we have to fix the immediate problem, you know, before i can think about, you know, what happens in the future here. >> reporter: the leak detected at w.h.i.p. two weeks ago and since then 13 have tested positive for radiation exposure and that number could rise as additional workers are tested. while officials insist the levels detected were lower than what you receive from a medical x-ray they admit it's too soon to tell how dangerous it could be for those exposed. >> whenever you have a disaster of any kind, there's always issues. you always mitigate the disaster and you move forward. >> reporter: w.h.i.p. handles low grade nuclear waste located 26 miles outside of carlsbad near the texas border. right now officials are confident community members are safe.

but they say they won't know the full extent of the leak until they can isolate and fix the problem. a process that could take several months. until then the facility is closed to all but 183 essential workers. all right, the good news, investigators say a filtration system kicked in immediately and kept 99% of the radiation underground. the bad news, some did leak and could take months to fix. this problem. josh? >> john, thank you. a whole new level now of privacy invasion. government spies are accused of hacking into the private webcams of yahoo! users. documents obtained by nsa leaker edward snowden reportedly show that a british spy agency with the help of the nsa recorded millions of screen shots from yahoo! messenger webcams regardless of whether the users were suspected of illegal activity. now, yahoo! calls the electronic spying and i do quote completely unacceptable, end quote. shocking story from

mississippi. a man who was pronounced dead has come back to life. the coroner said walter williams, you see him there, died wednesday of natural causes. and so they put him in a body bag and drove him to the funeral home. two hours later, he woke up and started kicking to get out of the bag. the coroner says williams' pacemaker had apparently stopped and then started working again. welcome back, walter. finally, a story of inspiration on top of that one, jason collins, the first openly gay player to compete in a major u.s. sport met last night with the family of matthew shepard, the wyoming college student murdered in 1998 because he was gay. collins says shepard was and remains his inspiration, of course, collins wears the number 98. he actually revealed to remember that year and to honor shepard's memory.

judy shepard says she wanted to thank jason for keeping her son's legacy alive. >> great to see. thank you, josh. we'll get the latest on that kerry kennedy case going to the jury right now as they try to determine whether the daughter of robert kennedy should be convicted for driving under the influence of ambien. abc's gio benitez has the story. >> reporter: this morning, kerry kennedy's fate is in the hands of a jury. four men and two women. handed the misdemeanor drug driving case -- >> we're very happy that the jury has the case. we think the evidence went in well. >> reporter: the defense which claims kennedy unknowingly took the sleeping pill ambien the morning she sideswiped a tractor trailer in 2012 rested thursday after calling its final witness. dr. david benjamin a clinical pharmacologist who helped get ambien approved by the fda said it can cause automatic type behavior or zombieism. they might become impaired and not know it.

>> this is a responsible woman. had she had her faculties about her she would have pulled over and called aaa. >> reporter: kennedy the daughter of robert f. kennedy has pleaded not guilty. and testified that the morning of the accident she had taken a generic form of ambien by mistake, mixing it up with her thyroid medication. on the stand she said if i realized i was impaired, i would have pulled over. but in their closing argument, prosecutors said kennedy knew right away that she had taken the wrong pill. she felt it and i submit she was looking for an excuse to control her public image. an apparent reference to her famous family. many of whom have showed up to support kennedy every day including her mother ethel but in their closing statement, the defense insisted kennedy is not seeking advantage because of her family. she wants you to focus on the evidence. and here at the courthouse the jury heard four days of testimony and, lara, a verdict is expected later today. >> all right, gio, thank you.

now we'll turn to a health warning for young athletes. new findings this morning raising concerns about the risk of concussions and not just for football players. now for soccer players, as well. abc's jim avila is in washington with the story. >> reporter: the most popular sport in the world, more american kids play soccer than tackle football or baseball. long encouraged by parents as the safe alternative to its violent u.s. cousin, but this morning, it's linked to cte, the very same repetitive head trauma disease seen in some pro football players. new evidence that one of soccer's most exciting plays can cause brain damage. >> you have to be very careful when your son or daughter is playing soccer. you have to be very cognizant they can injure their heads. >> reporter: it is this move, the header that appears so dangerous for youngsters. players typically head it up to 12 times in a single game. watch again. that black and white sphere traveling up to 50 miles an hour.

and in soccer there's nothing between skull and leather. >> our son patrick was doing headers at the age of 3. >> reporter: patrick grange died nearly two years ago. his brain donated to scientists at boston university studying cte and those doctors made a startling discovery. the 29-year-old is the first soccer player found to have cte, the frontal lobe of his brain badly damaged, the same mind-numbing disease that leads to dementia and depression. >> soccer is a great sport. and it's not something that we should all steer away from. i'm saying that concussions and constant headers as a youth, under the age of 14, should not happen. >> reporter: we reached out to the youth soccer federation but we received no comment. although most coaches have cut back on header practice till high school, but doctors are saying that's not enough. lara. >> it can hurt. i mean and my little girl i know does it. >> an important thing.

for youth football, for youth soccer when the brains are still growing and all that extra room in the cranium, you need to back off. you definitely need to back off. >> good advice. hey, we want to get back out to los angeles. robin roberts at the dolby theatre where the oscars will take place. she has the only camera allowed inside the theater before oscar sunday. hello, robin. >> hey there, lara. looking forward to seeing you out here soon. the buildup to oscar sunday just two days away. i'm on this man's turf. we're talking john -- john? i'm with you right now and can't -- chris connelly. you have got to tell us about these matchups. it is like some of the closest races we've seen in a while. >> it's crazy but the oscars about 60 hours from now. all kinds of conventional wisdom on who's most likely to win but the conventional wisdom is not always wisdom. ♪ three major categories could

offer edge of your seat oscar spectating. supporting actress looks like a two-person race. >> thank god for me. >> reporter: the explosive gifts of last year's best actress, jennifer lawrence from "american hustle." >> no, danny, not that one. that one is empty. we have to use the big one. >> reporter: versus the searing anguish of "12 years a slave" star lupita nyong'o. >> r. >> 1,000 cotten day in and day out. >> reporter: j. law got a bafta. lupita, the s.a.g. award and critical kudos too and she's the likely winner. best actor is absolutely loaded with possibilities. >> no big deal. >> reporter: late buzz gives leonardo dicaprio so irrepressibly enjoyable in "the wolf of wall street." >> advantage to everyone. correct? >> no. >> real hope of taking home his first oscar. bruce dern in "nebraska" has a 50-year film career and strong sentiment on his side. >> i'm running out of time.

>> anything to declare. >> nada. >> reporter: yet the favorite remains matthew mcconaughey and "dallas buyers club" losing 45 pounds and using his box office superpowers for good. >> they're not illegal. they're unapproved. >> reporter: best picture shapes up as a three-movie donnybrook. "gravity," "american hustle" or "12 years a slave." some academy watchers suggest a h grand bargain has been struck with voters giving "gravity's" visionary alfonso cuaron best director while "12 years a slave" secures the best picture oscar. but you'll be the last to know. >> no, no, no. that's the truth. >> reporter: if you don't watch. >> let's go back, chris to best picture. a lot of factors here. >> a lot of things in play. this is how close the race is. the producers guild, which does the same type of preferential voting during the oscars tied for best picture between "the

gravity" and "12 years a slave." so this could be a tie. it could go right down to who lists these movies as second or third on their preferential ballot so this is a nail biter. >> all right, chris, good to be out here with you. another check of the weather, ginger zee, the other big story is the rain. she is 30 miles east in glendora, california, with the latest on the snow for the midwest and northeast, as well. ginger. >> right. this morning, robin, the vehicles behind me, the emergency vehicles have been on the ready in case we get mud slides in the next couple of days. i want to show you why. some spots already have had more than 3 inches of rain. here is what you put on top it, the numbers start adding up. in the yellow, that's 4 to 6 inches. again, as this storm moves to the east, it will hit that cold air. and for the weekend, into early next week, it becomes some snow. and a lot of snow in some places. your weekend get away coming at you now. all of it brought to you by claire tin.

>> the other headline this morning, the cold, single digits earlier this morning. jorng, i know that you are feeling that for sure. george, let's head back to new york city. a chilly one. >> we have to get out to l.a. by monday. tough figuring out with the rain out there and the snow coming here. >> we have to get back somehow on monday. >> there's rain tor ren shall rain, according to ginger, and then we come back to a monster snowstorm here. >> live from l.a.x., tune in. >> coming up right here on "gma" aspen social lite a murder master mind. why her former stepdaughter is testifying against her in court. inside the hunt for one fugitive mom on the run with two kids and two dads fighting to track her down and bring their children home. it's an abc news exclusive. also ahead, sandra bullock's huge win before oscar sunday.

we have fits and the tantrums, the band behind that smash song. they'll be here live. ditching the training wheelsy and hopping on a big boy bike. wait a second. this is the ride of his life. we can do better than an 8-megapixel picture. that's what i'm talking about. a full-hd, 13-megapixel camera with drama shot. atta boy jack. this ride just got 4 times sweeter. i think we know which one of these photos is going to gramppy and nana. ♪ the full-hd, 13-megapixel galaxy s4 with drama shot. a human energy crisis going on. quaker real medleys has real fruit... nuts and multigrains. power up with the good energy of quaker real medleys. quaker up. it's how i look at life. especially now that i live with a higher risk of stroke due to afib, a type of irregular heartbeat

not caused by a heart valve problem. i was taking warfarin but wondered, could i focus on something better? my doctor told me about eliquis for three important reasons. one, in a clinical trial eliquis was proven to reduce the risk of stroke better than warfarin. two, eliquis had less major bleeding than warfarin. and three, unlike warfarin there's no routine blood testing. [ male announcer ] don't stop taking eliquis unless your doctor tells you to, as stopping increases your risk of having a stroke. eliquis can cause serious, and in rare cases, fatal bleeding. don't take eliquis if you have an artificial heart valve or abnormal bleeding. while taking eliquis you may bruise more easily and it may take longer than usual for any bleeding to stop. seek immediate medical care for sudden signs of bleeding like unusual bruising. eliquis may increase your bleeding risk if you take certain medicines. tell your doctor about all planned medical or dental procedures. those three important reasons are why i'm shooting for something better.

eliquis. [ male announcer ] ask your doctor today if eliquis is right for you. [ male announcer ] ask your doctor today from the big screen to small screens near and far twizzlerize your entertainment every day with twizzlers. the twist you can't resist.

and less saturated fat? it's eb. eggland's best eggs. better taste. better nutrition. better eggs. it's eb. now from abc 7 news. >> good morning. i'm kristen zea. it's been a wet and windy morning in the bay area. the stormy weather toppled a big tree in san francisco's sun set district earlier this morning. and an suv crashed into a

building on silver avenue and princeton street. >> in the north bay, pge is looking to remove a tree that fell over the live lines in santa rosa. it's within a miserable commute. let's talk to sue hall. >> to add insult to injury we've got days on b.a.r.t. and because of the weather all of the rails have had to slow down. new accident out there for you, this one westbound 580 at 164th street. still with flooding at southbound 87 at taylor. according to cph, several lanes have been reopened. kristen? >> sue, thanks a lot.

and good morning from the roof. where it's still range here in downtown san francisco. the flash flood warning is just about over for san mateo and santa clara counties. let's take a look at the shower let's take a look at the shower that caused that.feway presentsl big deals of the week. or how to find big savings on the things you need. just make a straight line to safeway. your club card gets you deals you can't find anywhere else. right now, breakfast is on. oscar mayer bacon is only $3.99. rise and shine with simply orange oj, just $2.98. and oikos greek yogurt is only a buck.

real big deals this week and every week. only at safeway. ingredients for life.

♪ ♪ i walk to the sound of my own drum it goes they go we go ♪ >> you're looking at that video with ellen dancing to fitz and the tantrums' song "the walker" got us all whistling our way to the oscars. speaking of that, we are inside where it will all take place, the dolby theatre. the big rehearsal about to take place, a couple of hours from now, all the musical acts will be rehearsing today. there are a lot of surprises being kept under wraps until the big show sunday night. we may share one or two with you this morning. ellen is one-on-one with us, as well, this morning looking forward to sharing more of my conversation with her. and fitz and the tantrums are there with you in new york live. i can't think of a better way to end february. >> yes. >> and thank goodness is

february -- we want to go behind there and steal one of those name cards. let us know one of them. >> don't -- you are going to see someone tackle me if -- they'll take me down if i do but i'll try. >> we got deejay irie right here in times square for our deejay friday getting ready for our oscar sunday. he is bringing it this morning. >> nice crowd outside behind him, as well, this morning. there they are in the bitter cold here in new york city. ooh. >> let's take a look at sandra bullock in "gravity." we all know she's up for best actress this sunday but she's already scored a much, much bigger prize. we'll explain that just ahead. and what if you could get by on just a few hours of sleep a night and not feel exhausted? you could have our jobs. for starters. what the experts say is the exact amount of sleep you need

that will then make us all laugh hysterically. >> just laughing. >> we're sleep deprived. >> yeah, a little bit. constantly. also, are women harsher to each other than they used to be? i don't know, sara, if you feel that. but sarah jessica parker is speaking out. why she says that women are acting more like mean girls than ever before. >> yeah, says it's a big change. so that's coming up. right now we begin with that testimony in the trial of a social lite accused of killing her husband at his country club. the victims' daughter is on the standing testifying against her mother, pam phillips. abc's ryan owens is covering the case. >> reporter: later this morning heather triano will continue to testify against the woman she believes masterminded the murder of her father. >> she was my stepmother. >> the judge allowed heather to testify without showing her face on camera. the former manager of a new york versace store who grew up a child of privilege in aspen, colorado, told the jury about

the day 18 years ago when a car bomb took her dad's life. >> it was his surprise birthday party that night. so i was trying to figure out what to get him for a present. >> reporter: prosecutors say 56-year-old socialite pamela phillips paid this man convicted killer and one-time boyfriend ron young $400,000 to plant a pipe bomb in her ex-husband gary triano's car as he golfed at this swanky tucson country club back in 1996. they say phillips used the real estate developer's $2 million life insurance policy to keep up her lavish lifestyle traveling the globe before she was arrested in 2009 at this luxury hotel in vienna, austria. >> i remember saying to him, oh, my gosh, she really did it. >> reporter: thursday her former friend testified phillips told her about her plan to hire a hit man years before prosecutors say

she did it. >> she said that she should just hire a hit man. have him taken out. >> reporter: prosecutors expect to wrap up next week then it's the socialite's turn. she's pleaded not guilty and claims her ex had lots of enemies. her defense plans to call more than a hundred witnesses. for "good morning america," ryan owens, abc news, tucson, arizona. thank you. now we want to turn to david muir and an abc news exclusive, the story of two beautiful little boys who suddenly disappear when their mom takes them on a vacation and never returns leaving two ex-husbands, two fathers so heartbroken and what follows is an extraordinary international hunt to find the mother on the run and as i said, david muir has been on the trail on this story for months. it's remarkable. >> this is really something. we were all talking about how heart pounding this is. in fact, 18 months go by, two dads, two ex-husbands have no idea where their beloved boys are.

when suddenly a piece of evidence, a video breaking the case wide open. this morning you're about to see those stunning images, how she'd been disguising the boys. the hollywood hills where scripts and screenplays are filled with fictional family drama but right here in los angeles two different fathers finding themselves in the middle of a real-life stunner. for 18 months both of them asking where are their sons. will the mother, the ex-wife who took them ever be found? >> jerry is everything to me. >> reporter: can you hear his voice still? >> it's strange. i feel like i'm with him all the time except he's not here. >> reporter: the youngest boy, sasha who loved his drum set. and jerry, who loved to be tickled at night. both boys taken overseas on vacation by their mother but on previous trips maria pfeifer had always come back. not this time, flight 9683 landed in los angeles and they are not on it. >> she went dark on her phones and went dark on e-mails. >> reporter: somewhere in europe a fugitive mother.

back here two different dads working to track her down and we begin to follow the leads from geneva to paris, the e-mails, the clues she's leaving behind. one of the strongest tips leading to paris. >> agent casey. >> welcome to paris. >> reporter: one of the dads showing up at the embassy in paris unannounced armed with evidence pleading for help from the fbi. had you ever seen a case like this before? a dad who shows up at the paris embassy? >> never. no. >> reporter: we hunt down the clues, an apartment building where a maria pfeifer lives. and we talk to neighbors. have they ever seen the mother and those two boys? and then the biggest clue of all. look at this. the stunning video. the boys playing at a resort in slovakia caught on tape. more than a year after they disappeared. you can see their mother there in the orange shorts and what's most startling to their fathers is how they look. both of the boys with long hair, the youngest in pigtails. that's sasha to the left? that's sasha in the pigtails disguised as a girl in the

yellow shirt. >> jerry is coming around right here, right? >> jerry is in -- with the long hair. >> reporter: how strange is it to see your son disguised as a little girl halfway around the world. >> it's surreal. >> reporter: the fathers showed the video to us and to the fbi. the international dragnet tightening. >> i'm waiting right now for the word from law enforcement to get on a plane and go to europe. >> reporter: you hope that call comes. >> i dream of and pray that call comes. >> reporter: and what happens when we track down that mother? we do track down that mother and tonight you'll hear from herself how she explains this whole ordeal. we're with the fathers every step of the way this evening the very moment they get the call from europe. the big question, of course, can they get to the boys first? the moment they discover them. that's tonight on "20/20." 10:00 p.m. eastern. lara, you and i george and i were talking. every year a thousand children are abducted by parents in this country and taken overseas to foreign countries. >> to be there when all this is happening is just incredible. >> yeah, this is really

something and you got to think about the children who are caught right in the middle of this thing? and video, that pivotal video and how they got it is unbelievable. >> with help from perfect strangers all over the world on facebook. >> david muir, we thank you so much. >> see you tonight. >> okay. want to get one last check on the weather. not one last, we need to talk about it because, ginger, you're busy this morning, i know. >> yeah. i'm busy and of course the drainage systems in california are busy. you can see the water flowing much faster than fs earlier this morning. all the rain starting to add up on top of the mountains. there are many advisories. a flash flooded a risery right here. wind warnings throughout parts of california and up in the mountains, it won't be rain, 2 to 3 feet of snow as this system moves through the next 48 hours. but to the north of it, it's quite a bit drier. you have portland, seattle but by the weekend you'll get wetter and snowier in the pacific northwest the, too. that's a look across the country. that's the b the shower that caused that.

>> all that weather brought to you by kohl's. george, so much more coming from we will be right here giving you updates on the storm. as the wind starts to pick up, that's when we'll see a whole lot more. coming up here, sandra bullock up for best actress this sunday for "gravity." but check out the phenomenal win she has already scored. all the details ahead. ♪ got a feeling feeling ♪

try our delicious new fresh mex bowls with chipotle or margarita chicken. all served with a bowl of soup, like our new southwest chicken. chili's lunch combo starting at 6 bucks. more life happens here. especially when it comes to digestive health. staying perfectly balanced isn't easy. introducing great grains digestive blend.

active cultures plus high fiber and whole grains help keep your system in balance. new great grains digestive blend. what? [ male announcer ] ...is rewashing. so we reimagined the dishwasher with an industry first: 102 spray jets. why 102? that's why. ge. reimagining home. turn to roc® retinol correxion®. one week, fine lines appear to fade. one month, deep wrinkles look smoother. after one year, skin looks ageless. high performance skincare™ only from roc®. after one year, skin looks ageless. pit's not for ribbons or medals or some trophy.

i'm after something much greater: they call it "the rock." anncr: hungry is chasing your dreams no matter how far away they are. hormel® rev wraps. 15 grams of protien. for those who are hungry.™ [dad] [lau [boy] mom!ughs] [mom] yes? [boy] whoa,whoa,whoa... [mom and dad] [laughing] [boy] whoa,whoa,whoa... [mom] you've got two left feet,boo.

♪ oh we are back with actress sandra bullock, huge payout for her oscar nominated role in best picture nominee "gravity." it has launched her into the stratosphere to become one of the highest paid actors in hollywood with just one movie, and we're back here live inside the dolby theatre. and nick watt, count the ways for sandra. >> reporter: you know, i think sandra might end up as runner-up in the best actress category, but it doesn't matter. she's already scored a huge victory for women and middle-aged people everywhere. >> matt, this is ryan, copy. >> reporter: hurtling alone through space wearing short-shorts, sandra bullock just crashed through hollywood's

glass ceiling banking $70 million as the star of "gravity." >> puts her right up there with tom cruise in his heyday and robert downey for "iron man." >> grab ahold of anything you can. >> reporter: why, how, what? well, partly because angelina passed on the role. >> there aren't that many female superstars, so once angelina left, they really needed sandra bullock. and so she got what's become a phenomenal deal. >> reporter: according to "the hollywood reporter," that's 20 mill up front and a slice of "gravity's" ultimately gargantuan box office pie equals 70 mill. she's a big deal, but bullock only earned $14 million in all of last year. the movie business is mucho mano centric. adam sandler made more money last year accroding to forbes than the hottest starlet in town, jennifer lawrence. adam sandler and i have nothing against him, made more than

angelina jolie. he made more than any woman. >> sandra bullock's success here isn't just a vindication for women, it's kind of a vindication for old-school stars. you can be middle-aged and still bring in a massive audience. >> reporter: the biggest hit of the year. with gorgeous george playing second fiddle. ha. ♪ >> i love the ha. >> now this is a great triumph but hollywood is still a man's world. can you believe that big star men earn on average more than double the big star women. >> sandy, she's got a little something to say about that. hey, nick, great to be here with you. that's the bonus of coming to l.a. getting to see you and chris connelly. so much more oscar fun coming up including my interview with the host, ellen. fitz and the tantrums performing

live in new york and josh's "play of the day" is just ahead so as josh would say -- go nowhere. ♪ we get to the end of the day and i am toast. in fact, we've had toast for dinner. but tonight i nailed it. kfc family feast.

9 pieces any recipe, 3 large sides, 6 biscuits, $19.99. do not give up on dinner. ♪ i've been claritin clear for 6 amazdays. do not give up on dinner. at the first sign of my allergies, my doctor recommended taking one claritin every day of my allergy season for continuous relief. 21 days! 28 days of continuous relief live claritin clear. every day. treat play more. go more. now... save more at the petsmart stock up & save sale. save up to 20% on select great choice® dog & cat products. plus, save $2 on select great choice® dog and cat food. exclusively at petsmart®. i'm saving a ton of time by posting them to my wall. oh, i like that one.

it's so quick! it's just like my car insurance. i saved 15% in just 15 minutes. i saved more than that in half the time. i unfriend you. that's not how it works. that's not how any of this works. [ male announcer ] 15 minutes for a quote isn't how it works anymore. with esurance, 7 1/2 minutes could save you on car insurance. welcome to the modern world. esurance. backed by allstate. click or call. welcome to the modern world. makes everything algood even better...ilk from the bowls of cereal you make... to all the delicious recipes you bake. because inside every carton is the goodness of blue diamond almonds. almond breeze. almondiciously good!

>> announcer: right then, here's the "play of the day." >> all right. and it's one you won't see on "scandal" or "house of cards." should be a hint on what you're about to see. >> oh, i know what's coming. >> here it is. it's potus and vpotus working out like literally. take a look. president's chance to show us how he moves. it's all part of his wife's let's move campaign. >> mr. president, you ready to move? >> absolutely. let's do this thing. let's move. ♪ >> oh, wow, the dogs aren't

moving. >> hey. >> you're hard to keep up with. >> you didn't do bad. but after a good workout, you have to drink up. or else we'll be this trouble with jill and michelle. >> i want michelle obama to be right off camera, no, take it again. >> drill sergeant. >> speaking of moving -- coming up, "good morning america's" countdown to oscar sunday brought to you by jcpenney. when it fits, you feel it. ♪ crazy by jcpenney. when it fits, you feel it. ♪ crazy

what does that first spoonful taste likok. honey bunches of oats. ching! mmmm! mmmm! mmmm! wow! it's the oats. honey. yeah. honey bunches of oats. this is a great cereal. [ female announcer ] just about anywhere you use sugar, you can use splenda® no calorie sweetener. splenda® lets you experience the joy of sugar without all the calories. think sugar, say splenda™ without all the calories. your hepatitis c.forget it's slow moving, you tell yourself. i have time. after all there may be no symptoms for years.

no wonder you try to push it to the back of your mind and forget it. but here's something you shouldn't forget. hepatitis c is a serious disease. if left untreated, it could lead to liver damage and potentially even liver cancer. if you are one of the millions of people with hepatitis c, you haven't been forgotten. there's never been a better time to rethink your hep c. because people like you may benefit from scientific advances. advances that could help you move on from hep c. now is the time to rethink hep c and talk to your doctor. visit hepchope.com to find out about treatment options. and register for a personalized guide to help you prepare for a conversation with your doctor. what would it learn? what improvements would it make? at ge, you've inspired us to reimagine the kitchen. with innovations like the first dishwasher

featuring 102 spray jets. the kitchen is now thinking -- more like you. and...stop. no? nothing? [ male announcer ] ge. reimagining home. no? nothing? lemme just get this out of here. to go. unlike some places, we don't just change your oil. our oil offer comes with a four-tire rotation and a 27-point inspection. and everything looked great. actually, could you leave those in? sure. want me to run him through the car wash for you, too? no, no, i can't. and right now get acdelco professional durastop brake pads installed for only $99.95 or less per axle. chevy certified service.

now from abc 7 news. >> good morning i'm kristen zee. steady rain in the south bay caused flooding on the roads this morning. over at sso you can expect flight delays of up to four hours. mike niko has the storm forecast. >> no umbrella needed right now in san francisco but i'm looking to sour southwest and that's where the next wave is coming in. flood advisories for most of the area. heaviest of the showers right now from ped lum ma to san ramon. but the next batch is coming in.

more waves of show ore on the road. sue. >> if you thought you would take mass transit this morning, still experiencing system wide delays.

good morning, america and are you ready for oscar, ellen one-on-one with robin before the big night and party on. great ideas at a discount to instagram your oscar night with friends. and carrie on. sarah jessica parker speaks out about the mean girls culture right now. could you get by on fewer than four hours of sleep? and find out exactly how much sleep you need every night. all of that plus fitz and the tantrums. here live with their oscar fitz. >> good morning, america. >> good morning, america! ♪ ♪ go ♪ it's how fast that i like to

go ♪ ♪ i can't keep up with my rhythm though they keep trying too quick for the lines they throw ♪ ♪ i walk to the sound of my own drum we go they go we go hey yeah yeah yeah ♪ [ cheers and applause ] >> fitz and the tantrums right there. their huge hit, "the walker" made so popular. ellen's oscar promo. right here in times square in morning. chilly morning here as we're counting down to oscar sunday. right inside here, dj irie making it a great deejay friday for us right here on "good morning america." there he is getting everyone going. all kinds of music this friday morning. and we're getting ready, as well, lara right by my side along with sara haines, robin already out there in l.a. for the oscars. ♪ ah freak out >> yeah, this is as close as i'll come to getting on the big screen in hollywood. this is it. this is -- this is how -- hey, i know you guys are headed out

here but before you get here we'll have some fun, as well. how can you not with oscar host ellen degeneres, hanging out with her. she's going to tell us how hosting is going to be different her second time around and dishing on some of the surprises and take a look at this. as part of our facebook partnership, "gma" likes the oscars, this map will show the best picture buzz right now. broken down by state, "captain phillips" getting the most mentions in more than half the states, "12 years a slave" and "dallas buyers club" also getting a lot of buzz, guys, but not much love for "american hustle" or "gravity." our good friend jess cagle will break it all down for us because it is tight. it is tight. >> you notice a lot of the votes for "12 years a slave" in california. locking it up, i dare say. also this is something of a talker, at least for all of you at home because we are jealous of you. short sleepers they're known as. the folks who can get by on just

a few hours. >> it's an art. >> slumber. yeah, part of the job description here. this still beats working for a living, however. >> absolutely. >> what they're saying about this because, i mean, george, how many hours do you get a night? >> i try to get six. don't always. >> yeah. >> i feel like it's six if you can. >> yeah, but there's a new scientific study, it's really interesting and, oh, a girl can just dream. >> yeah. >> and then sarah jessica parker is speaking out about the way women are treating each other these days, and we want to hear from you guys. do you think the mean girl culture has gotten worse than ever before? i sure hope not, but we do want to hear what you have to say. we'd like you to vote, if you will, at goodmorningamerica.com on yahoo! >> she says it's gotten worse on the screen and in real life as well. that's all coming up, we've got to get some news from josh. we begin with some major developments in ukraine. this morning armed men there

wearing unmarked military uniforms seized control of two airports in the eastern part of the country. it's a region that is loorjly pro-russia. but moscow denies any involvement. russia has a major navy base nearby. victoriktor yanukovych appe in russia this morning at a press conference. he stands accused of stealing some $30 billion from the ukrainian financial system and then moving that money offshore. more than 1,000 homes in southern california have been ordered to evacuate as the region braces right now for potentially devastating floods. up to an inch of rain per hour could trigger fast-moving mud slides in the hills north and east of los angeles. some of which were left bare by a recent spade of wild fires. jing ler have her complete forecast from l.a. in just a moment. and it's not a mudslide but a burning coal mine that is forcing a town to evacuate in australia. these pictures are startling. the mine caught on fire three

weeks ago, but now the flames have reached some 150 feet into the sky. that's a 15-story building of flame, and the heavy smoke and ash is now posing a health risk to 14,000 nearby residents. kerry kennedy has just been found not guilty of driving under the influence of ambien. her car struck a tractor trailer on a new york highway. she said she accidentally took the sleeping pill. well known sandwich chain is reportedly preparing to file for bankruptcy. quiznos which has struggled to compete against subway now stands some $570 million in debt. a frightening scene at this north carolina gym to show you. a man on this treadmill. you see him there collapses while suffering a heart attack. luckily, however, a woman nearby happened to be a nurse, immediately gave him cpr, doctors say that if she had not been there, leapt into action so quickly, he would not have survived, but here you see the happy reunion of all on thursday, and he's already, in fact, back at the gym. >> wow. he looks pretty strong already. >> that's remarkable. >> terrific stuff there.

and, finally, some of the best images, in fact, we've ever seen of the northern lights. >> wow. >> no filter, hashtag. recent solar flares have sent particles streaming into the atmosphere, and this is the result, a spectacular light show. best view was from northern europe last night other than the alien spacecraft, which i know is up there. good. >> so beautiful. >> beautiful stuff to see. >> really, really is. >> that is beautiful. "pop news" coming up. >> yep. >> actually sara will do "pop news" today but right now ginger has the weather from glendora, california. >> the showers have are very heavy right now. this huge bolder was actually brought down by a mud slide in 1969. we've got the sandbags up. they're as ready as they can be here in glendora and some of the other neighbors communities. but i wanted to tell you first about what's happening with the timing of the storm. pacific northwest is out of this one. they might see sunshine.

check this out. as the front comes through, slides down to the south, saturday during the day will be pretty terrible. into early sunday morning. you could see wind speeds morning of the oscars pretty ridiculous. i want to leave you with a look across the >> so again, it is not just today. it's through saturday and early sunday. we're hoping that just those lingering showers will be kind of getting out of the way for oscars itself.

but we're covering this storm all day and we'll be right here. sar rarks let's get back to you for the morning menu. now here a look at what's ahead on the "gma morning menu" mila and ashton are they engaged? a brand new ring for mila. the secrets of short sleepers. how some people get by on just a few hours a night. i sit next to some of them. great last-minute tips to glam up your oscar party. that's coming up in times square. gmas morning menu is brought to you by fast-acting advil.

we know we're not the center of your life, but we'll do our best to help you connect to what is. a human energy crisis going on. quaker real medleys has real fruit...

nuts and multigrains. power up with the good energy of quaker real medleys. quaker up. power up with the good energy of quaker real medleys. pit's not for ribbons or medals or some trophy.

i'm after something much greater: they call it "the rock." anncr: hungry is chasing your dreams no matter how far away they are. hormel® rev wraps. 15 grams of protien. for those who are hungry.™ peekaboo. ♪ hi, honey. ♪ pbht! ♪ hello! ♪ well, what are you looking -- oh. this really works well together. [ male announcer ] lowe's has the brands you need to refresh your home this spring. from stainmaster, to valspar to allen + roth. hurry in for storewide deals like $5 off valspar signature paint. ♪

♪ ♪ who can say where the road goes ♪ ♪ or the day goes >> oh, no. >> oh, yes. >> that's not. >> yes, it is. jean-claude van damme in outer space. ♪ you'll remember the volvo ad that had him doing splits between two moving trucks. thankfully, he survived, of course. this absolutely insane stunt, and asked -- appealed really, send me to zero gravity so that i can prove that i can do this in outer space. and one youtube user actually did just actually that. do i need to say this is a parody? do i need to make note that this is an homage to the blockbuster hit "gravity" as we count down to oscar sunday and as we count the millions upon millions that sandra bullock made on said film, we send it now over to sara haines. >> if she had done the splits that could have been a bigger paycheck. >> who knows.

>> even bigger. >> hard to imagine it could be even bigger. good morning, everyone. it's a match made in '70s heaven. "people" magazine is reporting that mila kunis and ashton kutcher are engaged. they've been dating two years but met in 1998 when they co-starred on that '70s show." you may remember them. their characters jackie and kelso actually locked lips on that comedy series. kunis' first kiss ever according to their co-star -- >> first kiss ever? >> ever. think about that. >> how sweet. >> oh. >> and then that story went bad. >> i know. i think we might have ourselves a 10b next week. >> that was almost an ew. >> not me. >> well, her face -- lara went -- yeah, it wasn't a positive thing. but on wednesday kunis shared this instagram photo saying i love you and the day before she was spotted with a sparkly diamond ring on her ring finger. not a single lady anymore. off the market. a slight spoiler alert, if

you haven't managed to binge watch "house of cards" that show had an epic twitter overlapse with the other crazy popular drama on tv, "scandal." "house of cards" taking to twitter with this scandalous headline calling on none other than "scandal's" fixer in chief olivia pope to get to the bottom of it. scandal tweeting back, we're on the case. consider it handled and things went on from there. now, how epic -- okay, you're done. you're done. your muffs off. >> so excited. >> imagine a crossover episode. >> oh, my gosh. >> that would be pretty cool. political thrillers collide. >> i want to see a unicorn next. it would be so neat. >> i like the way you think, lara. and if you're like me you have famous movie quotes burned into your mind and if you're like me, you probably get them wrong. a lot. >> give us one. >> here's what i mean. in "wizard of oz" most think dorothy says "toto, i don't think we're in kansas anymore." but she actually says, "toto i have a feeling we're not in kansas anymore." the rest get a little tricker so

putting you to the test. i know. that's -- no, wait for this one. what's the mirror mirror line from "snow white"? >> mirror mirror on the wall, who is the fairest of them all? >> it's not. it's actually magic mirror on the wall -- >> oh, boy. >> semantics, sara. >> i know but tomato/tomato from "star wars" where darth vader -- >> luke, i am your father. >> no, i am your father. >> no, i am your father. [ laughter ] >> it's amazing. >> that really is. >> with the voice from lara. >> yeah. >> 0 for 2 but excellent impression. >> thank you. >> even without the fan. >> lara, i'm so excited. you're going to be making your "this week" debut on sunday. >> yes, yes. >> i have a big announcement. i am now on the staff of "this week with george stephanopoulos." george, hold on. >> she's working it.

>> now i believe you. >> yeah, but i love what you've done. you've hooked up with our espn statistical guru. >> nate silver. he is a math god, and he has basically figured out what the ingredients are that make an oscar best picture nominee. >> he has a secret formula. >> 503 movies analyzed dating back to 1928. the inception of the oscars and there are ingredients and they include -- >> well, don't give it away. whoa, whoa, whoa. no, no. >> well, one -- >> you have to watch sunday to get all the ingredients. thank you very much, lara spencer. [ laughter ] right now we're going to turn to sarah jessica parker making a lot of headlines -- [ laughter ] -- by speaking out against mean girl behavior both on the screen and in real life. abc's linsey davis has the story. >> reporter: for six successful seasons, it wasn't just sex and fashion that made the show "sex and the city" a cultural

>> don't call me stupid. >> reporter: just this week on "the real housewives of beverly hills," a brawl broke out while the women were away on vacation. >> shut up. >> stop, stop, stop, stop. >> reporter: a far cry from this "sex and the city" getaway. [ laughter ] parker, who played the show's beloved carrie bradshaw says women loved her character because she was a deeply devoted friend, and i think women really respond to that kind of connection. >> we've all been there.

>> that's for sure. >> it's literally like a form of feminine bullying. >> reporter: stacy kaiser, a licensed psychotherapist agrees that many of the female friendships on tv today are cruel and unsupportive. >> i do think that women are meaner on television, but i think in real life we women have always had it in us to backstab and be mean to other women. >> reporter: as for parker, she admits, we're not always the very best friends we can be but says, i think we all want it. we all work towards having it. and it's actually not just women who parker says are cruel. she says she never googles herself or reads anything about herself because of the harsh things that people have to say. she says the random cruelty is something that she just doesn't understand and that she wishes we could all just go back to a simpler, nicer time. >> i like that idea. >> it's when social media becomes decidedly anti-social. >> yeah. >> that's true. >> we asked you what you think about all this. is the mean girl culture worse than ever before? here's what you had to say.

not even close. 84% said yes, 16% said no. >> all right. i want you all to imagine feeling rested, alert and all of that on just a few hours of sleep a night. for most of us that is the greatest sounding thing we've ever heard. it is just not happening. however, scientists say that for a lucky few, there's never a need for an alarm clock, a cup of coffee. abc's mara schiavocampo has these short sleeper stories. >> reporter: sleep, it's the one thing almost nobody gets enough of unless you're one of these guys. jen schwanner gets four hours of sleep every single day. she's not an insomniac. she's not sleep deprived and she's never tired. >> i feel like i'm living my life rather than sleeping it. >> reporter: schwanner is what's known as a short sleeper just like her dad. he can get by on as little as one hour of sleep a day. >> not superman. not an x-man.

just i feel kind of lucky. >> reporter: it's not luck, it's genetics. researchers say thanks to a genetic mutation, these real-life superhumans simply compress the brain's sleep cycles into half the time. they can't sleep more than a few hours even if they try, never use an alarm clock, don't need caffeine, rarely yawn and never nap. >> all day long they are very active. they're very optimistic. they're go-getters. >> reporter: lots of people claim to sleep very little including bill clinton, donald trump and martha stewart, but researchers say most of them are probably just sleep deprived and less than 1% of the population is made up of genuine short sleepers. i am definitely not one of them. i gave the whole short sleeping thing a try. i feel tired. i feel irritable and just not ready for the day. i wasn't just cranky. take a look at this reaction test. after one night of short sleep, i can't catch this pen at all. but schwanner, who's been living

on four hours of sleep her entire adult life, never misses. when we tested reaction time with a 15-inch ruler, i kept getting worse. 11 inches. 12. 13. as for schwanner, she did three times better than me getting more out of life. >> four. >> reporter: -- on a lot less sleep. >> four. >> reporter: for "good morning america," mara schiavocampo, abc news, new york. >> are you going to try it? >> ready, josh? [ laughter ] i'm just imagining things. okay. >> it's tough, and, oh, for that for all of us. >> mara, thank you. great job. hey, robin is out at the dolby theatre in los angeles getting ready for the big day, robin. ♪ >> don't talk to me about lack of sleep. you know how it is doing the show out in l.a. as a 1:00 wake-up call out here, but who's complaining because we're counting down to oscar sunday bringing you more of my one-on-one with the host ellen degeneres. we had so much fun talking about how she plans on even doing

better the second time around. she also gave me a run for my money when i tried turning the tables on her with our low-tech "gma" version of her game, "heads up." i don't think i've ever seen a bigger picture of you in my life than when i turn the corner getting close to the theater. what was it like to look up and see yourself? >> that's normally in my yard and i moved it here to help them out and then we just tweaked it and said oscars. that's usually in my bablg yard. driving here was the first time i saw it. it's enormous. weird to be in the car and someone is like that then they go, thanks. >> ready for anything. >> to see -- pardon me. to see -- >> reporter: nothing rattles ellen, not even the sounds of construction as she gears up for hollywood's big night. >> oh. >> getting a little old. >> i'm getting old. this really has been a dream of mine since i was a little girl. >> reporter: it's ellen's second time taking center stage. at the oscars, how are

rehearsals going? >> i have everything written and i'm sure -- i had things written months ago that i thought for sure i liked and was going to keep, and i've gotten rid of them, and i have new things then i'm sure i'll get rid of those and i'm sure i'll be writing up until that morning, and i'm now working on what i'm doing throughout the whole show because i'll be in the audience a lot and playing with people a lot, so there's going to be a lot of playing with people in the audience all throughout the show. >> well, see, that's what people love about you. i think that's very important to you, to put people at ease. >> yeah, i think there's -- first of all, it's just never been my humor to ever get a laugh at someone else's expense so there's never going to be a mean joke or anybody will get hurt or no matter how funny a joke, if even if i think of a joke because it's not like i'm an angel, you know, i mean i am, but it's important for me to relax everybody because there's so much anxiety in the room. >> this is a big deal and you want to make sure -- it's the oscars, by golly. >> by golly. if i don't take it seriously,

it's disrespectful. this is an institution that's been around for -- this is the 86th year and i want it to be classy. it can be current. i'm going to be live tweeting throughout the whole show which will really be fun because i didn't do it the last time. >> a great challenge. very few things you could do especially where you are in your life in your career that can push you and challenge you. >> yeah. >> is that how you approach this? >> i should be good enough that people talk the next day and go she was great but i shouldn't stand out enough that it's overshadowing anything. it's a very delicate balance of being a good host. you know, there's no other reason to do it unless i'm going to do better than i did last time and better than you see me on my show. >> speaking of your show, a quick segue here. i love "heads up." you're a little more high tech. at "gma" we're low tech and have placards. so i'm going to -- best picture, okay, i'll put -- >> yes. >> you're going to give me a clue. give she a clue if i'm not -- so i don't know. >> you already know what they

are. you've been holding them the whole time. >> i don't know what order they are. >> but you know what they are. but you're cheating. >> i'm not cheating. >> all right. let's just play. >> okay. >> she. >> "her." >> yeah. >> oh, that was so -- >> ow! >> oh, oh, that's so good, oh, because i just want to keep -- >> i'll keep making money. >> "the wolf of wall street." >> okay. >> i was going to do the -- oh, it's the enemy of all women except for sandra bullock. >> oh, "gravity." "gravity." yep, i'm post-50, so i get it. >> yeah. >> that was good. all right. >> and finally -- >> oh, all right, all right, all right. >> all right, all right, all right. >> yeah. >> "dallas buyers club." >> yep. >> thank you, ladies and gentlemen. thank you very much. >> had you not cheated, you would have guessed matthew mcconaughey but you knew it was "dallas buyers club" and all right, all right, all right, should have led you to matthew but you're a cheater.

>> i didn't. we're low tech. >> that's fine. and you're exhausted. >> you know, ellen, thank you. >> thank you. >> and very excited about seeing you. >> thank you. and i wish you all the best, as well, and you know how much i love you and i'm very happy for you and happy to see you happy and healthy. >> thank you. >> thank you. >> no, really. >> thank you. ♪ hop along if you feel -- >> love me some ellen. we'll be on the carpet for "red carpet live" oscar sunday at 7:00, 4:00 pacific followed by the oscar with ellen degeneres on abc and she's on the cover of "people" magazine. jess is standing by. everything oscar for you on monday and a big party coming up in our next half hour. ♪ that's what you want to do ♪ "good morning america's" countdown to oscar sunday is brought to you by jcpenney.

good morning. i'm kristen sze. it's been a wet and windy morning in the bay area. the stormy weather toppled a big tree in san francisco sun set district overnight closing lanes. and an suv crashed into a building on silver avenue and princeton street. in pittsburgh, a puckup truck crashed into a utility pole knocking out pow tore the neighborhood. the police had to wait for pg and e to deactivate the lines before they could reach the driver who was killed in the crash. >> let's get a view from view hall. >> let's check with mass transit. b.a.r.t. experiencing kplas, cal

trans. serious accident now in the dublin area. this is eastbound 580 right at the foothill accident. right lane blocked. >> so we'll check to see when the rain is going to be completely out of h

good morning from the roof where we're inbetween showers right now here in san francisco. but we still have the urban and small street flood advisory for

another 30 seconds or so and then hopefully that will expire. one of the stronger cells moving from paid month to the san ♪ party night ♪ i waited for a girl like you to come and save my life ♪ ♪ all the days i waited for you ♪ ♪ you're the one who said i never would find someone like you ♪ ♪ you're out of my league all the things i believe you were just the right kind ♪ ♪ yeah you are >> gets into the soul, you know. >> yeah. >> takes me back to the days -- remember the movie "valley girl." that's coming back. fitz and the tantrums, thank you very much for being here today singing their hit song "out of my league" and thank you, bag person and all you other party souls outside. it is fair to say it is arctic

once again out there. but it is not stopping them or us here. oscar theme song we've all been whistling through every commercial break. also great to have our man and the miami heat house deejay, dj irie here. dj irie, tell lebron the mask is unbelievable! it is so great. talk about a meme as we all get prepared. weather willing both there and here to head to l.a. for oscar sunday. robin, of course, already there in the dolby theatre. >> and on the jumbotron. >> yes, you're on the jumbo, wave hello to times square, robin. you're up there. the only camera allowed inside before oscars ♪ i want to rock right now >> i follow cues very well. i felt like you were my director all of a sudden. wave to the people, you said.

the big show, guy, finally almost here. we figured it was time for predictions. we are here in our insider jess cagle with his picks and also ahead, great last-minute tips to glam up your oscar party. we make over one woman's party with some tips from instagram users. you know who you are on sunday. you're going to be there with your popcorn so we'll give you insider tips to make it the glamorous one you want it to be. lara? >> thanks, robin. as part of your facebook partnership "gma" likes the oscars we reached out to some of the top film schools and asked their students to create "gma" insta-shorts, if you will, 15-second remakes of oscar nominated film posted on instagram. this is created by frank -- let me get it. frank pasquine from the new york film academy. it's a very fun take on "her." >> i can remember the exact moment i fell for you. >> theodore? >> awkward. >> you two should meet. samantha, this is katherine, my

ex-girlfriend. >> you're dating a 4 now. >> i thought you were a 5. >> very good. >> really good. really good. you can see more of our favorite insta-shorts on goodmorningamerica.com on yahoo! do check it out. >> such a fun week all week long. remember the "frozen" singalong. keep on sending in all these great photos showing your friends and family at home. letting it blast. so cute. of course, "let it go" up for best song on oscar sunday. we love seeing those pictures come in. that was so special. we also want to thank idina menzel for joining us on that big day. >> and lights on broadway. we go to an inspiring story of a woman who lost over half her body weight. after struggling with obesity since childhood she says it was a real aha moment that finally turned her life around and it also may have saved it. ♪

>> reporter: 54-year-old val mccloud has been fighting the war on weight her entire life. >> at my heaviest i probably was about 620 pounds. >> reporter: some days eating upwards of 30,000 calories, fried chicken, cookie, chips, ice cream, portion sizes large enough for three people. >> my doctor just told me, you're going to kill yourself. >> reporter: her joints began to break down under the pressure of the weight and by her mid-20s she had to make her own clothes from upholstery fabric. >> i couldn't find clothes. i had gotten so large that i no longer could even fit clothing from the full figured women's stores. we would just roll out as much fabric as i need and put elastic in the waist. >> reporter: now meet the new val. a woman on a mission to health and wellness who dropped over half of her body weight. a whopping 393 pounds. >> it wasn't like i was just eating and eating and didn't care about it. i tried dieting and i would lose

a few pounds then gain those pounds back and more. >> reporter: one of the major turning points, having to be weighed by a freight scale before a failed gastric bypass surgery. >> i went to a nutritionist who helped me to figure out, you know what proper portion size were. i also started seeing a therapist because weight loss and being overweight is as much emotional, mental, psychological as it is physical. >> reporter: and slowly incorporated exercise into her daily routine. >> initially when i first started walking i could barely even go a block. >> reporter: she also overhauled her eating habits cutting out all processed food and replaced it with a diet of fruit, veggies and fish. now this author and motivational speaker hopes her journey will inspire others. >> make one change that's healthier and here's -- the body is so intelligent. the body has a brain. it will respond to anything you do for it that's in the right direction. >> complete --

>> so very happy for val. she is helping others. we are counting down to oscar sunday. predictions are reaching a fever pitch. fortunate to have jess cagle to break it down, editorial director of "people" and "entertainment weekly" and co-host of "red carpet live." all these jobs. >> so busy, robin. so busy. >> you made time for us this morning. >> glad to be here. >> the tightest races. what do you think? >> best picture. it's just too close to call. usually by this time we know. the thing that threw us off was the producers guild. that usually predicts the best picture winner. this year it was a tie between "gravity" and "12 years a slave." >> so do you think it's going to be a tie here at the oscars? >> i think a tie is unlikely but that would be amazing because that's such a good story if it is. i think -- but i would maybe give it to "gravity" by a hair only because my buddy anthony breznican predicted that but it

could be that alfonso cuaron gets it for directing "gravity" and gives best picture to "12 years a slave." >> that's what is so great about it. you really don't know what's going to happen on sunday. >> a good year when you don't know who is going to win. >> we talk about how we partnered with facebook, "gma" likes the oscars. interesting what people say. for the most part they're saying the most buzzed best picture nominee is among men was "the wolf of wall street" and while among women it was "dallas buyers club." then when you go agewise it was interesting, as well, "the wolf of wall street" had more of the mentions in the 18 to 34 group, "dallas buyers club" and the next one up from that and then "12 years a slave" was two, was number two in all the demos. what do you think that -- what does that say to you? >> i found -- i think what it means is those -- the people on facebook are very, very passionate about those particular movies, because

overall "gravity" is by far the biggest hit, more people have actually seen "gravity," more people told their friends to go see "gravity" and yet "gravity" is not really, you know, rising to the top there on facebook. so i think that the people who are passionate about "dallas buyers club," a movie that has made $24 million, $25 million not a very big hit is doing so well. i think its fans are really coming out for it. >> give us one shoo-in. in the acting category. >> mcconaughey for "dallas buyers club." >> all right. well, we'll see you on the red carpet. who are you going to be wearing? >> it's, you know, something incredibly interesting. >> really, really. >> a black suit with a bow tie. >> we'll be on the red carpet. jess, tyson, beckford, lara and i starting oscar sunday at 7:00 p.m., 4 pacific followed by the oscars with ellen degeneres right here on abc and we'll have everything oscar on monday from fashion to parties, "gma's" ultimate oscar party. are you ready? i have to bend over thinking of

all we'll be doing. >> it's going to be great. >> he will london is going to be i'm really excited about it. ellen is going to be great, too. time now for a final check of the weather nearby here in glendora is ginger. how is it going outside right now, ging? >> well, robin, the answer is i'm soaked. that's like liquid gold for so much of california. we're concerned about the timing and how quickly some of the rain is going to come. but of course it has not just been a headline of the rain on the west, it's been snow for ever and ever and i wanted to start with a twitter phototo give you an idea of what's happening in the upper peninsula of michigan. my hometown of grand rapids, michigan was record cold. 12 below zero. sun pillars in rod chester, new york. that's something you see a lot of times when you have all that cold and the kcrystals up in th atmosphere.

>> so all that weather brought to you by lowe's and, robin, the we'll be following not just this storm but the storm as it goes back. we'll follow it ourselves as we go back to new york on monday. robin? >> great last minute tips for throwing your best oscar party ever. and d.j. irie live back in new york. come on back with us. ♪

♪ we are counting down to oscar sunday with great ways to help you throw the best oscar party ever. as part of our facebook partnership, "gma" likes the oscars, we made over an oscar party with some tips from

instagram users. "gma" contributor melissa rycroft shows us how. ♪ >> reporter: who doesn't love the movies, the glitz, the glamour, working mom diane diaz is a huge fan. >> i love going to the movies and used to go to the movies all the time. >> reporter: diane always wanted to host an oscar viewing party but thanks to her two toddlers party planning is easier said than done. >> i don't know that i will be up for throwing an oscar party. maybe i think oh, when the boys are older. >> reporter: fortunately we knew who to call. preston bailey, party planner to the stars. preston's overseeing lebron james' wedding, ivanka's walk down the aisle and oprah's 50th birthday party. within eyeing up diane's house the party master had a master plan for throwing our working mom the mother of all oscar surprise parties. what do you think will be the best part about this particular party? >> as you walk in, it's freezing

outside and want it to have a splash of spring. >> reporter: behold the transformation of the family's home, the red carpet of crimson flowers leading to the gold lame flanked front door. the kitchen went from this to this thanks to decadent floral arrangements and to die for appetizers prepped by chef ricardo cardona and the great room usually home to train tables and toys preston turned that into a swank viewing area complete with colorful cap tapestry screens, enormous oscar statues and throw pillows featuring this year's acting nominees profiles. when it comes to creating the perfect party, would you say fun is the most important criteria? >> you have to remember that it is a party so just plan as many moments of surprises that you possibly can. >> reporter: preston says great oscar parties need not be costly and our friends at instagram agree. instagrammer tory hendricks of sitting in a tree event planning recommends using gold spray paint to dress up place settings and trophies that double as

favors. >> they look better when they're clumped together. >> reporter: instagrammers april bloomfield and spoon fork bacon recommend oscar hued food. chocolate popcorn balls and salted chocolate and caramel tarts. welcome home. as for diane we couldn't wait till sunday to show her what preston had done with the place. oh. diane was elated with the instaglam treatments. >> oh, my god. i love you. >> reporter: for this working mom this year's oscar broadcast comes with a very happy ending. >> to the oscars. >> reporter: for "good morning america," melissa rycroft, abc news, rivervale, new jersey. >> looks like she's enjoying herself. our ultimate oscar party is monday morning right here in hollywood. we're going to bring you our exclusive backstage interviews,

all the fashion and taking you inside those hot parties. but coming up next here on "gma," fitz and the tantrums live back.

♪ i walk to the sound of my own drum ♪ this, of course, the official oscars promo video. ellen degeneres singing, dancing to a wonderful infectious, invasive one could argue hit "the walker" by fitz and the tantrums and we're going to be joined by fitz and said tantrums and they'll be performing "the walker" from "more than just a dream" but real quick, fitz, how did you get hooked up with ellen to do "the walker." >> it happened with paul feig, the director of "bridesmaids" he had just been inducted in the academy and approached ellen and said, i want you walking down the street with a bunch of people in tuxes dancing to one of my favorite bands, fitz and the tantrums, their song "the walker" and she said i just so

happen to have them on my show. this week. they're one of my favorite bands. when we got there she asked us if we wanted and what did we say noelle? >> we said absolutely. >> everybody wins. >> l.a. native, great to have a band that came up through the scene there, we do it? >> yeah. >> here we go. from the second album "more than just a dream," fitz and the tantrums with "the walker." >> one, two, three, four. ♪ ♪ ♪ ooh crazy's what they think about me ain't gonna stop cause they tell me so ♪ ♪ cause 99 miles per hour baby is how fast that i like to go ♪ ♪ can't keep up with my rhythm though they keep trying ♪ ♪ too quick for the lines they throw ♪ ♪ i walk to the sound of my own

drum we go they go we go hey yeah yeah yeah ♪ ♪ oh here we go feel it in my soul ♪ ♪ really mean it mean it so go gotta feel it body takes control really mean it mean it ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ i wake up to the city of angels to see my name headlining the coast ♪ ♪ they say i'm a walking dreamer baby if i stop they would make the show ♪ ♪ can't keep up with my rhythm though they keep trying ♪ ♪ too quick for the lines they throw ♪ ♪ i walk to the sound of my own

drum we go they go we go hey yeah yeah yeah ♪ ♪ oh here we go feel it it in my soul ♪ ♪ really mean it mean it so go gotta feel it body takes control really mean it mean it ♪ ♪ oh here we go feel it in my soul ♪ ♪ really mean it mean it so go gotta feel it body takes control really mean it mean it ♪ ♪ really mean it mean it so go gotta feel it body takes control really mean it mean it ♪ >> come on, guys. come here. ♪ ♪ >> everybody go. ♪ everybody go. whoa. ♪

♪ ♪ oh here we go feel it in my soul really mean it mean it so go ♪ ♪ gotta feel it body takes control really mean it mean it ♪ ♪ i need to know feel it in my soul really mean it mean it so go ♪ ♪ gotta feel it body takes control really mean it mean it ♪ [ cheers and applause ] ♪ [ cheers and applause ] >> whoo!♪ ♪ [ male announcer ] a car that is able to see, to calculate, to think -- and can respond to what it encounters. ♪

even if that means completely stopping itself. it's the stuff of science fiction... minus the fiction. the 2014 e-class. see your authorized dealer for exceptional offers through mercedes-benz financial services. ♪ turn around ♪ every now and then i get a little bit hungry ♪ ♪ and there's nothing really good around ♪ ♪ turn around ♪ every now and then i get a little bit tired ♪ ♪ of living off the taste of the air ♪ ♪ turn around, barry ♪ finally, i have a manly chocolatey snack ♪ ♪ and fiber so my wife won't give me any more flack ♪ ♪ i finally found the right snack ♪ ♪

♪ [ male announcer ] spring is calling. get sta-green fertilizer now just $8 at lowe's. ♪ all right, robin. we'll see you in l.a. we're ready to go and thanks to the l.a. convention boards, we'll try this as best we can. lara. that's my head. >> you got it, sara. >> see you in l.a. oscar sunday. tune in.

where every thursde ia where every thursday people ride 10 miles for tacos. we thought wsurprise them with a better kind of taco made with jennie-o ground turkey cooked thoroughly to 165. i feed my kids turkey tacos over regular tacos any day.

i think they are light and they are just fresh tasting. yeah. when i eat well, i feel well. anncr: it's time for a better taco. the tacos tonight were pretty much perfect. make the switch. look for jennie-o ground turkey in a store near you.

good morning. i'm kristen sze. more heavy rain is heading our way today and you can expect the flight delays up to four hour. mike nicco is up on the roof. >> a little break right now. it's been a challenging morning and hopefully the evening commute will be better. we have a report of a water south south of santa ray. more is on the way for the mid morning to mid afternoon hours and again tonight through tomorrow morning. the seven-forecast, slight chances of rain monday through thursday next week. sue? >> still have major delays in mass transit.

b.a.r.t. still experiencing delays and cal trains all due to announcer: it's "live! with kelly & michael" pre-oscar celebration. today, ben affleck is here. and looking for fun and creative ideas for throwing a winning oscar party? and also check out eight amazing decades of iconic oscar fashions. plus, matt damon, amy adams, jonah hill, emma thompson, kate hudson, mark wahlberg and more. ll next on "live." now, here are kelly ripa and michael strahan! ♪ [cheers and applause]