countdown to oscars. it's hollywood's biggest night of the year. and we're on the red carpet with team coverage. as the world waits to see who will take home the golden statue. the big awards show the day before. >> we want the vote. >> are the indie spirit awards a

hint of what's to come? >> wow, it is a bird. >> plus, how you can watch the oscars on multiple screens and catch the behind the scenes action. plus, neil patrick harris' hosting debut. >> a dark, horrible cloud above my head right now. >> his biggest fear for tonight. the performers, the presenters, the preps. as we say -- >> good morning, america. hey, good morning. we're fully bicoastal on this oscar sunday. here in new york, we have ron, rob, special guest host cecilia vega, great to have you. out west, as we count down to the oscars, paula and sara are in hollywood on the red carpet. ladies, you look extra beautiful this morning. >> oh, dan, first and foremost, be kind to cecilia today. >> we will. >> try to.

>> sara and i -- okay, guys. we're so excited to be here. sara and i. we finally made it to the red carpet. so much electricity in the air for the big night. >> anything can happen. nothing is certain. until the winners names are announced. >> we have a lot to show you. from a look behind the scenes to last night's award show, that may have given us hints to who may win tonight. including potential upsets brewing. >> i'm excited to see. plugged in with our wall-to-wall coverage. >> you have a lot of news to get to. dan, you're looking dapper this morning as well. >> thank you. >> no, he isn't. no, he isn't. >> ron politely, or not so politely, disagrees with you. >> i'm going to duck. >> keeping it real. >> i'll deal with you later, sara. >> all right, guys. much more from hollywood coming up. we start with the other big story of the morning. the big blast of winter weather. affecting 100 million americans right now. >> our extreme team is covering it all. all this winter weather from denver to new york, where rob

will have your forecast in a will have yo moment. the main trouble spot, that south. snow, ice, and rain down there, bringing travel to a complete standstill on some highways. knocking out power for thousands of people.housands >> our coverage begins this of people. morning with abc's linzie janis who is in cookville, tennessee. linzie? >> reporter: good morning, dan ee. linzie? and cecilia. good morning, this part of central tennessee and cecilia. especially hard hit. tens of thousands of people are waking without power. it could be days before these it comes back on.e it comes this is why. a thick coating of ice on everything, on the ground, on are the plows? the trees, causing limbs to falland ice blast on roofs like the one behind me and also on power lines. >> where are the plows? >> reporter: this morning, a bitter snow and ice blast plaguing nearly 100 million americans.ed state of em the midsouth locked in a frozen vise. the state of tennessee declaring a heightened state of emergency out of grueling overnight, as the death toll from the bout of grueling

weather rises to 21. the town of monterey one of the hardest hit.hardest hit. >> the whole town is without power. power. >> reporter: trees collapsing under the weight of three quarters of an inch of ice. under the weight o blocking roads. quarters of an inch of and knocking out miles of power lines. >> the trees themselves falling.power that's a scary thought. when you're halfway asleep and you hear that.lling. >> reporter: officials say tens of thousands may be shivering innd the dark for up to five days, you hear that. with temperatures plunging below freezing each night. in the east, a nightmare for drivers white-knuckling in whiteout conditions. >> that woma >> that woman is stuck. >> repor can't get her car out. >> reporter: freezing rain and sleet turning city streets into slippery slopes. >> this vehicle went to the side slippery of the road and hit me. >> reporter: in maryland, up to 13 inches of snow trapping buses >> reporte and leaving hundreds of cars buses stranded, abandoned, or engulfed and leavin in flames. this car in new york is sent flying, landing upside down. this van clearly no match for the icy roads.side down. this tractor trailer on the

pennsylvania turnpike spiralling out of control before slamming into a tree. even first responders needing a sylvania turnpike sp rescue. a virginia highway shut down as firefighters rushed to douse this burning snowplow. it's raining lightly now, after a day of heavy, heavy rain yesterday.eavy, heavy rain so the concern now is flooding. because you have ice melting.y. also, overnight temperatures will drop into the 20s and we could see refreezing.into the 20s and we cecilia? >> it's brutal out there.lia? further north, snow fell hard and fast along the i-95 mid-atlantic corridor. bazi kanani is in nearby baltimore where there is a snow emergency this morning. emergency this m bazi? bazi? >> reporter: good morning, cecilia.ls are take a look at why officials arehis asking people to stay home this morning. and why many churches have d on canceled services. you could almost get around on ice skates on the side walks.r the

and the intersections are a slushy, icy mess. not safe for pedestrians or the responded to hundr drivers that we have seen skidding around out here. overnight, police in maryland responded to hundreds of phone calls from drivers that were in trouble. they've towed they've towed more than 80 randed vehicles that were left stranded temperatures a on the side of the highways. temperatures are warming up. that's creating other potential problems.ould lead officials are concerned that all of the rapid melting could lead to flooding. and then, more freezing air is ice. coming in tonight.gly. bazi they're concerned that all of this melt could turn back into ice. dan? looking at more >> it never ends, seemingly. bazi, thank you. further west, denver is in the bull's eye as we speak. looking at more than a foot of snow in some areas. clayton sandell scores of flights canceled.ou. clayton sandell is there. clayton, good morning to you. you can >> reporter: and good morning, a complete m dan. they're comple you can see the snowplows are out this morning. and interstate the roads in colorado have been a complete mess overnight.

they're completely snow-packed. and interstate 70, a major interstate through the area,erous right now. was completely shut down because of multiple car accidents. and in the air, denver international airport so far, flights they have about 180 flight cancellations. that is 12% of all the flights in and out and there could be more cancellations today. so far in our area we had about 9, 10 inches today. but some areas around denver in som could see up to 20 inches inches before the befores the system moves out d, too. later tonight, cecilia?nd our rob >> denver getting slammed, too. clayton, thank you.of it. it's cold and snowy. just one place to find our rob marciano. right in the middle of it. you're so mean to him.me inside. you never let him come inside. i don't know what straw you raw you pulled. but you're out there again. good morning. but you're >> good morning, cecilia.

i love it out here. the snow held overnight. we had sleet mixing in at times. kind of a wet snow. we held at the 32-degree mark. good for snowballs. the roads are a mess.ght. look at some of the east coast in at times. snow totals. kind of the inner mountain parts of the appalachians, up to two feet.. th in droop mountain. look a middlebrook, 15 inches. central park, three inches. just under three in d.c.ountain. but you obviously saw the road conditions an issue there. we still have winter storm advisories and warnings. boston holding on to it for the longest. until this system begins to push out to sea. central here's what we're looking at as far as the storm system, the freezing line does lift a littletorm bit. warnings. but by that time, most of the precip is gone.sh out to sea. today, we'll get above the system, the freezing mark briefly.y. then then more cold air coming. the heavy snow across the mountains of colorado and new mexico, here's what we're the heavy snow thinking, well over eight inches of snow. what we're the cold air drops down over the of snow. south.rn the energy into the southern icing plains, icing issues expected for north texas, including dallas.expected for nor we'll talk more about that throughout the hour. back over to you. >> thanks, rob. i have a feeling you're going to

go back to boston, soon. turn now to my friend, my good friend, ron claiborne. good to see you. my >> cecilia?on claibor dan. good morning, everyone. go we begin with the al qaeda-linked terror group al shabab calling for attacks on malls in the uk, the u.s. and ttacks on canada. they've made a threat in a video u.s. and released on saturday. officials at the largest mall in they've the country, the mall of america in minneapolis, they say they're aware of the propaganda video and have heightened security there.and have heightened al shabab is responsible for the deadly siege on the kenyan mall al s in 2013 that killed more than 60 people. killed more than 60 and in the uk, a desperate plea from the families of three british teenage schoolgirls who may be on the way to join isis. last seen at g as see had jihadi brides. last seen at gatwick airport, they were heading to turkey. the parents of two of the girls releasing statements begging them to return home and saying they cannot make sense of why they left. heading the girls are thought to be heading to the 500-mile-long

border between turkey and syria. today's daytona 500 will ona 500 will take place without racer kurt busch who lost his final appeal to nascar to overturn his to suspension over doemestic abuse allegations. he tried to appeal the decision twice on saturday. lost both times. nascar suspended him indefinitely after his former girlfriend, patricia driscoll, accused him of choking and mer beating her.scoll, he denies the charges. meanwhile, busch's brother will miss today's race after breakingile, busch's broth his right leg and left foot in a's race after br crash during a race on saturday. and chris bosh, the miami heat star forward, is out for the season. is out for bosh is undergoing treatment for blood clots in one of his lungs. in a statement, the miami heat said bosh is receiving care under the guidance of team tement, the miami heat physicians. his prognosis is good. physicians. and a tense situation at a federal south texas prison. nearly 2800 inmate lts be move

fod other institutions. inmates seized control of part of the facility. the disturbance that started on friday rendered that facility uninhabitable. the inmates are protesting what they say are poor medical services at the prison. finally, a trip to the mall turned into magical trip for shoppers in new york's long island, shadowed by some famous characters. check this out. ♪ one guy tries to show up mickey with his dance skills. that was a bad idea. the characters h mickey watched and busted out as a his own moves. as you see there. the characters hid behind this lit-up screen disguised as a store window. this video has more than 2 million hits. after its debut earlier this ron? week. disney, the parent company of abc news which employs all of for the us. robot. >> so, did you -- are you sore from doing all that dancing, ron?

amount of coor >> it wasn't me. >> i would have gone for the robot.now. >> it requires the smallest amount of coordination. smart.mments let's talk politics now. two prominent republicans taking heat this morning for comments about president obama. first, rudy giuliani says he does not believe the president loves america. then the governor of wisconsin, scott walker, a leading presidential contender, says he's not sure whether mr. obama s chief is a christian. let's bring in abc news chief george stephanopoulos. that governor walker called that irrelevant and gotcha journalism.e didn is he going to take heat for this? >> he said on principle, he didn't want to answer the "the washington pos question.urse the the fact that his spokesperson called "the washington post" back and said, of course the governor believes that president doesn't believe tha obama is a christian.of the republican cand but he doesn't believe that all of the republican candidates have to answer all of should have to answer all of these questions about the motivations of the president. so yeah, he's gotten in a little so yeah, he's gotten in bit of hot water trying to clean it up this morning.p this morning. >> there are some on the right that have raised questions about maybe the president could be a a muslim. muslim. so it's not a completely irrelevant question.levant question. >> some people say it's a dog whistle to those believers. >> let me ask you about this. me ask

you about th giuliani says he's been receiving death threats since his comments. what is the reaction among those who are considering running for president in the republican right mow? field right mow? republ >> the reaction of the asked about republican candidates is why are we getting asked about this? and they are getting asked about it. whether or not they agree with rudy giuliani. probably the most artful ably the most artf response from marco rubio, he said that, you know, i don't know why i have to answer these hat, you know, i d questions.tions. democrats are not asked every time joe biden makes a gaffe. but, of course, i think that president obama loves america.president obama loves i disagree with his policies. in a couple of sentences there, he kind of hit every major point he needed to make. but every republican candidate getting asked about it right now. now. it is mystifying how major is continuing to giuliani is continuing to go on with this. >> and he managed to weave in biden's gaffes rather artfully.s one on one with george goes one on one with the head of homeland security jeh johnson. he wants to know what questions you want to ask. you can tweet you can tweet him @gstephanopoulos. pick?

extra bonus point if you can get the spelling right. that is later this morning on "this week." george, before you go, i know you're about to get on a plane after the show and head out to l.a. best picture pick? >> i'm going to go with "boyhood." just for the record. >> all right. nice. ron constitutional i happen to agree. just for the record.ys. ron constitutionally disagrees with everything everybody says. >> you also happen to be wrong, but that's okay.you're >> put you on the spot. weather and i'm st thank you, george.rain in new york. we want to turn to paula and sara back in hollywood. covering the oscars. let me get this straight, you're alarms went off today. out there in the sunny l.a. >> yes, exactly. weather and i'm stuck here in that's one of life the sleet and rain in new york. what's up with that? >> please remember when our alarms went off today.ts. >> yes, exactly. that's one of life's cruel ironies. we're soaking up the sun on the etting red carpet. all dressed up the stars are getting their beauty rests.

we didn't. but the stars are. at the laidback film they're soon going to be getting all dressed up. saturday, it was dress down time >> it's one at the laidback film independentfore spirit awards. >> it's one last big blast on the beach in santa monica before the oscars that could hold clues to who will win tonight. maybe a preview. and abc's chris connelly was there. good morning, chris. and abc's chris conn >> reporter: i was wearing my ter: i was wearing my tankini and everything. saturday morning saw the 30th film independent spirit awards, celebrating the best in movies not initially funded by major studios.the best in movies some years, like this one, its winners may look rather familiar. ♪ i'm a little bit indie ♪io ♪ ♪ and i'm a little bit studio ♪ >> reporter: kristen bell and ts fred armisen. donny and marieing it as hosts for the ever scrappy film independent spirit a independent spirit awards. >> it's so ridiculously nice. i'm looking fo i have never been here before. i'm looking forward to seeing what this is a what this is all, what's going to happen. >> reporter: for starters, it's got a pink carpet, with a view of the pacific.

>> i would lov >> i would love to see ethan hawke wear a bathing suit.>> i feel extremel and run right into the ocean. >> i feel extremely vulnerable >> reporter: it's in front of you all right now. >> reporter: it's a breath of fresh air for nominees long on the awards show circuit. trying to stay healthy, michael keaton's been fist-bumping. have you been able to not get a to cold? >> no, i have not been able to them. not get a cold. i've gotten two or three of them.g pretty good no but i'm feeling pretty good now. >> reporter: j.k. simmons' spouse, michelle, says he's been sleeping three hours a night.been >> well, i'll fall apart at the seams at some point tomorrow, i guess, probably.ow, i >> monday.eah, hopefully not >> yeah, hopefully not until >> not that long ago monday. street. >> reporter: this nominee it mingled with the crowd. to have an ind >> not that long ago, i would have been out there on the street. >> that's how selma came about.best female we scratched, clawed, had it n bras and done. >> reporter: you have been known >> reporter: amo to have an independent spirit yourself now, haven't row? >> every now and then. every now and then. >> reporter: or, as best female lead, julianne moore put it -- >> i brought my own bras and food. >> reporter: among this jared

leto jacket sighting, hardware went to keaton, simmons, and patricia arquette. >> i have never been invited to for the oscar favori this party before. >> reporter: and the best director -- >> birdman. >> i'm so >> reporter: was a best feature win for the oscar favorite. and its grateful director. really. >> i'm so proud and so emotional to be here tonight with you, really. editor >> funny comic bit where kristen and fred pretended to evict the "boyhood," editor of "birdman." >> it' when the independent spirit ndependent awards doesn't choose "boyhood," it's like the yankees not how strong requiring derek jeter's number. >> it's incomprehensible. >> sara, you >> it's the ultimate independent film. it's an example of how strong "birdman" is coming into the oscars. >> sara, you are all things behind the scenes. you can see >> i am. all the action starts tonight. oscars you can see it on abc. you can catch on the go with oscars backstage.l the behi jam-packed with all the behind the scenes the scenes excitement. for this sho we had tons of fun getting ready for this spectacular show.ight.

it's hollywood's biggest night. all the glitz and glamour that only oscar can only oscar can bring. with stars as far as the eye can see. while neil patrick harris polishes his opening number -- scars we're prepping for our oscars he opening ceremony live from the red carpet. robin, lara, michael, and i will talk to the stars from the moment they arrive on the carpetst steps until they take their last steps>> it is. into dolby theatre. >> did you know this is my 20th oscars?ybook. >> reporter: is it? >> it is. >> reporter: even twee >> reporter: during rehearsals, lara had fun. >> the oscar playbook. >> reporter: even tweeting this picture, with a stand-in for michael keaton. we're gearing up for our very first digital oscar preshow. now, we're all access.s. you ca you can follow the oscars on abces with us on all of your devices facebook. by downloading the watch abc app and on facebook. the oscars backstage will dazzle

you, as well.ng out matt from abc's "how to get awaybutor nick with murder" will be hanging out red carpet looks with fans in the bleachers for the abc oscars steam. and yahoo fashion contributor nick axlerod will break down all the red carpet looks. >> it's anyone's game for in terms of best dressed.pportunity to get fa >> reporter: and while paula was on a plane headed west to hollywood. ♪ >> wait for me, girl. >> reporter: i decided to take this opportunity to get familiar with the red carpet. ♪ >> are you bette >> are you better? these steps? >> yes, i am. these steps? ♪ oh, gosh. ♪ i doubt they'll be doing the top "rocky" victory dance at the top of those stairs. >> but you pulled it off. sara, this is a fi that's tough to do in heels. >> sara, this is a first time for but excited. both of us covering the oscars. are you jittery? >> i'm nervous..

but excited. >> a little known fact about sara. she's a movie aficionado. i don't think there's a movie she hasn't seen from the list of nominees. >> exactly. on abc. but my favorite movie is "step brothers."but now, back to you i if that tells you about my ? >> cinematic tastes. i'm a california don't miss oscar night starting at 7:00 p.m., 4:00 pacific. >> we'll be back with much more. but now, back to you in new york. how cold is it there? lego movie didn't make t >> freezing. absolutely freezing. i'm a california girl, so anything is freezing to me rightwe'll talk more ab now. >> sara, we're sorry that the lego movie didn't make the best picture nominees. we'll talk more about that coming up. >> yeah, she's o >> she's okay.g. >> yeah, she's okay? she's in mourning. >> "stepbrothers" is a good movie.rs" is a g >> no offense to "stepbrothers." >> it is great movie. and that song, "everything is awesome" will be in our heads. back over to rob marciano. back inside. back in his suit. back inside. >> what have i done wrong? it wasn't too long ago i was on >> what have i the red carpet wearing beautiful gowns doing entertainment. >> you were wearing gowns? gowns doing en >> yes, and the jewels and everything. it was quite a sight. which explains why i'm here. which explains why i've been in boston a lot. i've been

in boston this is what they're doing there.le bit. they have added some today with ankfully, not a to sleet, snow, freezing rain, a all right, we've little bit. thankfully, not a ton. hopefully, we don't see more roof collapses. mis 40 is what it feel we've already seen over 100. all right, we've got more cold in fargo. air on the way.s. the wind driving down from canada. you have heard this record ittle bit. before, haven't you?f new york minus 40 is what it feels like in fargo. minus 28 in minneapolis. the wind chills will drive further to the south, too. everybody will get a little bit. the freezing line is north of new york city today.

>> and because ron was asking, the red carpet oscar forecast does call for a few showers. >> i'm glad you answered that. >> ron was really concerned about that. i'm sure he was really concerned. thank you, rob. coming up here on "gma," what's your pick for best picture? should "stepbrothers" have been on the list? if you agree with our expert, you'll find out. he'll make his predictions from the red carpet. in just a few minutes. and breaking the internet, can neil patrick harris create a huge viral sensation like this one from last year with ellen's selfie? what does he have in store? shining stars. some of the sparkling jewels tonight. if you have medicare part d, walgreens gets that you might be at the corner

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>> and you see the kid. your call. >> and the over looking of its director. some saying selma has a ch and three of the top cat goifrs have favorites. >> reporter: without question, three of the top categories have favorites. julianne moore's performance in "still alice" as a professor with early on set alzheimer's has made her a front-runner. >> i need to talk to you. i got something wrong with me. >> reporter: as a music teacher hell-bent on perfection from his students, j.k. simmons fills the scene. giving us a peek at the beating heart beneath the bluster. >> why do you suppose i just hurled a chair at your head? >> i don't know.

>> reporter: he's the supporting actor fave. >> start counting. >> reporter: and patricia arquette. in "boyhood." giving a performance that spans 12 years. best actor could have had ten nominees. two are viewed as co-favorites. "birdman's" michael keaton, oscar's 63-year-old comeback kid. and "the theory of everything's" 33-year-old eddie redmayne, with his total transformation into the real-life role of physicist stephen hawking. is there a chance of a surprise for "american sniper's" bradley cooper or from benedict cumberbatch? you bet there is. good reason to stay on the edge of your seat as sunday night beckons. >> all right. it's time to chat a little bit with chris about some of his oscar picks. >> let's start with best picture.

a lot of talk that it's between "birdman" and "boyhood." >> i think it's tight. i think it will be "birdman." i think we have seen, given its performance at the guilds, it just seems to have more loyalty in the voter department. >> best actor. tough competition. i gotta go with bradley cooper. who do you like? >> flip a coin. i still think it's between michael keaton and eddie redmayne. i think it will be keaton. a comeback guy that people loved in the '80s and he's back in a big way this year. >> none of those guys have won an oscar. >> best actress? >> it's gotta be julianne moore. it's a staggering performance. note perfect every step of the way. she's had a lot of great performances. it's a great role. it's her time. that's what oscar loves. >> i watched it last night. "still alice." i was weeping. it would be great to see her give that acceptance speech. finally, supporting actress and actor. j.k. simmons? >> i think so.

he's won -- he's got to buy like a new trophy case. >> he's ridiculous in this role. >> you're frightened of him. >> i'm nervous to see him. i'm going to do the tempo. no. not on my tempo. not on my tempo. >> his daughter is a drummer. literally is a drummer. he says, you know, i said, how good is she? he says, she'll get better with more practice. >> oh, my gosh. >> i'm petrified. >> you heard it here first. so much intrigue for tonight, dan. i know you have some picks of your own. so, i want to hear about those a little bit later. >> you don't want to hear my picks because they're so desperately uninformed compared to chris. but thank you, guys. we do want to check the forecast. because other than the oscars, the big story of the morning is

the weather across the nation. unpleasant. >> we'll get going with what's going on in colorado. big-time snow west of denver. a video from westminster. one of the suburbs there between denver and boulder. this was tough driving yesterday. it will be tough driving today. this is a long duration event. an upslope event that really -- one we haven't seen much of this season. the mountains will take it. fresh powder. oh, man, it will be fantastic. not only across colorado, the wasatch will get a little bit of this. taos will get some of this, too. the winter weather advisories and freezing rain advisories extended off to the east. dallas, some problems for the commute tomorrow morning. through the day, icing conditions are a concern. stretching into alabama and mississippi again. watch the freezing line. the snow drop down. ice will be an issue. across dallas, back through san angelo. by the way, daytona 500. looking good for the big race >> this weather report brought to you by ashley furniture home store.

if they sold director's chairs, i bet you they're higher quality than these right here. >> you know what? "birdman's" got nothing on our weatherman. >> just before we wrap up. i want to point out that ron claiborne has dressed partly for the red carpet, with a suit, but also for the snow with the boots that he's wearing right now. this is like a sartorial version of a mullet. business in the front. party in the -- you pull it off. you pull it off. nobody wears it like you. here's what's coming up on "gma," how neil patrick harris is hoping to set the twitter-verse on fire during the oscars this year. can he top ellen's famous selfie? and who is the most thanked person at the oscars? hint, it's not mom or dad. person at the oscars? hint, it's not mom or dad.

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a scapegoat. ...rick. it's what you do. ahhhhhhhh! what'd you say? uh-oh! kelly! if you want to save fifteen percent or more on car insurance, you switch to geico. it's what you do. rick. don't walk away from me. ahhhhhhhh! ♪ good morning, america ♪ ♪ i've never been in love before ♪ well maybe you've heard of oscar sunday. that was oprah. many of us will be having a two-screen experience the first time i'm hearing of it. watching on tv while chiming in on social media. i'll have any my phone there.

>> welcome to american pop culture, cecilia vega. the academy awards are going to unprecedented lengths. to encourage this two-screen experience. >> can you take it, meryl? >> reporter: it will be hard to top this. the selfie that last year's host, ellen degeneres, took with some of the biggest stars on planet earth. it was retweeted more than 3.3 million times. >> your selfie shot. was the most spectacular successful thing. [ cheers and applause ] >> reporter: the host of this year's oscars, neil patrick harris, recently went on "the ellen show" and admitted it haunts him. >> it's this horrible dark cloud above my head now. >> no. >> how to you beat the selfie that broke the internet? >> yeah i don't know. >> reporter: even before the show has started, harris has been doing his best to make it the most social academy awards ever. >> tonight, oscar sunday. live, on abc. >> reporter: check out his twitter feed. he's been working the oscars hashtag. prepping for my oscar night

party. anyone know a good onion dip recipe that serves 3,000? and -- rehearsals are intense for the oscars. and by rehearsals, i mean me singing into a hair brush in front of a mirror. he posted this online the morning the nominations came out. >> i just lost 20 bucks. here you go, harper. >> thank you. >> reporter: if everything goes right, the oscars can be a social bonanza. last year, millions of tweets. viewed by more than 37 million people. nearly as many as the 43 million people who actually watched the show. to goose the numbers this year, the oscar producers are bringing in some ringers, recruiting seven artists, like zach king from vine. who is showing us what tricks he has up his sleeve. or more accurately, on it. as well as amazing artists from instagram and tumblr, they'll all be covering the oscars. with all the social media

action surrounding this year's oscars, it's highly likely that neither neil patrick harris nor any of us will have time for the onion dip. does anybody watch the oscars while also tweeting, facebooking? >> oh, yeah. >> oh, yeah? >> #oscars. >> i mean, i do it a little bit. i actually like to discourage multitasking. i think you should watch the show. >> certainly the first ten minutes. because that's the best part of the oscars. >> for sure. the first ten minutes. and maybe the last ten as well. >> you when they do best picture. >> you can change a diaper at the same time. >> absolutely. triple-tasking. coming up on "good morning america," is it really as easy as doing the math? adding up the numbers to give you some bold oscar predictions. that's ahead in "pop news." ♪ i know now ♪ ♪ i know now ♪ the new way to help make temptations shrink away on the go. a deliciously fresh and satisfying

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♪ and we're back in los angeles, at the dolby theatre. the site of the 87th academy awards. time for an oscars edition of "pop news." with the one and only, lovely lovely sara haines. you look gorgeous today. >> thank you, paula. you, as well. and chris, stunning. when the oscar winners take the long walk to pick up the awards, they're trying to remember all the people they want to thank. of course, there's mom and dad. how about the celebrity that gets thanked the most? vocative analyzed. all 1396 acceptance speeches. here's who came out the winner. >> i have to thank, first, steven spielberg. >> thank you steven spielberg. >> thank you, steven. >> thank you steven spielberg for changing my life. >> i would like to thank steven for that. >> especially thank you to steven spielberg.

>> and the winner is mr. spielberg. >> spielberg. >> he was thanked 42 times. film producer harvey winestein comes in next at 34 time. followed by james cameron, with 28 times. and in case you're wondering god came in at number six. >> oh, not in the top five? >> i would have thought that would have been the first one. i feel like everyone is a christian on an awards show. >> thank you, god. >> everybody is grateful. >> the thing i don't like is when they don't thank their husbands or wives. that's the point i'm waiting for. i don't care who is involved with the film. i'm sorry. i want you to get emotional. >> it's the terrifying moment. you have dreamed of that moment all your life. how can you remember everybody? >> just go straight to your partner. you've gotta go there. >> tell max thank you right now. >> max, thank you so much for the award i didn't win. everyone's got their own theory about who wins the best picture. nate silver of espn's 538 blog thinks he's on to something. the statistician's website is

taking what he knows about baseball and politics and applying it to the movies. based on his model, it gives the edge to "birdman." the best director, richard linklater. the prediction is eddie redmayne as the easy winner for "the theory of everything." and julianne moore. as a shoo-in for "still alice." >> i would be kind of surprised if richard linklater won best director. i still think it's, you know, alejandro inarritu for "birdman." i think they're going to get both of them. i could be wrong. >> he has to win one. come on. >> that's the thing. it would be nice if they could split a little bit. >> i'm going to campaign for "boyhood" all day. every hollywood star knows the red carpet look is not complete without a whole lot of sparkle. i was able to get an exclusive sneak peek at the jewels tiffany and company is hoping to debut at the oscars. tiffany is a favorite of amy adams, reese witherspoon.

ann hathaway. as for what we can expect on the red carpet tomorrow night, tiffany's linda buckley says it's all about statement pieces. >> up until now, it's been a bold cuff on the wrist or a big earring. so we're kind of thinking it might be a surprise for oscars this year. and we'll see a lot of big necklaces. >> and i am decked out, i think, paula is as well, with some tiffany's. i have some stuff for tonight as well. but today, we thought -- >> earrings and bracelets. >> there's never too many diamonds. >> we're dripping in diamonds. >> in real diamonds. my ears have never seen anything real before. >> how much are we wearing? $50,000? >> a lot. >> this is what dan gave us for the holidays, right? we're right back from l.a. tomorrow is possibility. and the power to unlock it resides in a box behold the biscuit.

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all right. so on behalf of ron claiborne and his now discarded glamour boots, i want to thank all of you for watching this sunday morning. the oscars start at 7:00 right here on abc. second? guess not.

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>> announcer: starting right now on abc's "this week" -- taking the fight to isis. the pentagon under fire for revealing its attack plan. how the new defense secretary is responding this morning. the homeland security secretary on the struggle to stop the isis recruiting machine. and, the american trying to keep our kids from signing up. shots fired. what 2016 contenders are now saying about rudy's obama jab? and why is hillary clinton digging up dirt on herself? then, miracle on ice. 35 years ago today. an american win we'll never forget. >> do you believe in miracles? yes!