winner went to ben affleck. >> i think everyone in the movie, on the movie, anyone with this movie gets thanks. >> reporter: he produced, directed and starred in the film. "life of pi" went "argo" one better it won four awards including best director for ang lee beating out "lincoln" director steven spielberg. "lincoln" made some movie history. the star, daniel day-lewis became the first three-time winner for best actor. >> i'm so proud of being included of one amongst you. >> reporter: winning oscar for the first time was jennifer lawrence. she took a stumble up the stairs on her way to claiming the prize for best actress. >> i fell and that's

embarrassing. >> reporter: "django" got an oscar. and two years after co-hosting the oscars ann hathaway was back to win one, best supporting actress for "les miserables." after the show the stars went out to celebrate. as for the show's first time host, seth mcfarlane the jury is still out although he managed to get a few laughs. the reviews on social media has been mixed. richard, back to you. >> history at the daytona 500. a terrible crash and exciting finish. in the final lap jimmie johnson poured it on to win with danica

patrick's car wasn't too far behind. >> reporter: there was no stopping nascar's super bowl. >> racing! >> reporter: the daytona 500 went on as planned a day after a nightmarish crash on the very same track. 28 fans were hurt, 12 admitted to local hospitals. some were seated 40 rows up when a car on the last lap of a race crashed into the fence and split apart sending chunks of metal and a tire high into the grandstands. >> we were really shook up. i mean, just because we thought this really happened and we were, you know, so close. >> i think the key is to sit down and review what happened. >> reporter: the other headline, the historic pole position start for danica patrick who also became the first female to lead a lap in a nascar race. danica's own dreams weren't fulfilled here. an eighth place finish for a young woman who says she's just getting started. after a ten day acceleration congress is just four days to

come up with a plan to avoid $85 million in automatic spending cuts. white house is warning of a fallout to domestic and military spending. if that happens some republicans say the obama administration is crying wolf. is the president exaggerating these cuts? >> absolutely. it's a terrible way to cut spending but not to cut 2.5% out of the total budget, give me a break. the crisis is made up. it's been created. i didn't support the sequester because that's a stupid way to cut spending. >> a recent "usa today" pew research poll says overwhelming of americans would hold republicans responsible if those cuts go into effect. >> reporter: good morning.

some members say this crisis is exaggerated. white house saying 10,000 teachers could lose their jobs. a big impact at airports where 47,000 air traffic controllers could be furloughed that could lead to very long wait times. president obama speaking to governors at the white house last night. saying that while they face tough times before they still got some hard decisions ahead and here on capitol hill, we're waiting to see if there will be any action this week. march 1st, friday is the deadline for this $85 billion in cuts to kick in and right now, richard, there's just no real sense of any compromise in the work. >> that beautiful shot of the rotunda behind her. thank you. a major blizzard threatening multiple steps. when we look at this how big and how wide? >> it will extend from northern texas up to chicago great lakes area. this is another big storm that's

going to affect an area that just go over a blizzard last week. the snow keeps coming down. right now it's heavy across the panhandle of texas and oklahoma. that's where we're going see most of the heaviest snow over the course of the day today. also up into central kansas. not just the snow. it's the heavy rain through central oklahoma and also the potential for severe storms down through the gulf coast states. there's a good likelihood we'll see about 12 or more inches of snow, perhaps up to 18 inches across portions of oklahoma, kansas city could end up with another six to 1 inches. we have snow in the pacific northwest, especially the mountain ranges. we're looking for smoed rate to heavy rain from seattle right down to portland, oregon and salem oregon as well. medford will see light rain. as far as rainfall is concerned an inch or two along the coast but the mountains could end up with another 12 or more inches of rainfall especially northwestern washington and idaho looks like we'll see six to 12 inches in the higher elevations as well. about 48 ded

fallon, nevada, 53 for a high. so course the big story is another second blizzard in parts of the plains and the midwest but the northwest is getting their fair share of wintry weather too. >> ski season isn't over yet. >> not yet. >> how much are you spending on your home in today's business outlook plus controversy over why pope benedict xvi is stepping down and why afghanistan's order to remove special forces surprised washington. "early today" is back in two minutes.

here are some stories we're watching. gas prices continue to soar. it jumped 20 cents in the past

two weeks. that's a nearly 54-cent jump in just the last nine weeks. prices will not don't rise at this pace and a bloomberg survey suggests oil prices will drop through march 1st. afghan president karzai shocked pentagon officials as he ordered all u.s. special op forces to leave a key battleground province and taliban stronghold in two weeks. u.s. military officials strongly deny u.s. commandos condoned or were involved in any kidnapping, torture, or murders of afghan civilians or suspects. another ripple in the oscar pistorius story. he isn't the only one in his family accused of killing someone. an attorney for pistorius family confirmed his older brother, carl, is charged with culpable homicide, the equivalent of negligent homicide, after allegedly striking and killing a female motorcyclist with his car in 2008. his attorney says he's innocent and a test at the time proves alcohol was not involved. >> in his final blessing sunday

days before his resignation, pope benedict said he's not abandoning the church but serve in a way more suitable to his age and strength. the pope has accepted the resignation of the cardinal from scotland following allegations of inappropriate behavior with other priests. who is to blame for the bp oil spill? today a trial will try to answer that question. opening statements will begin today. the dow opens this week at 14,000 after climbing 119 points friday. the s&p rose 13. the nasdaq jumped 30. overseas markets also saw gains. the nikkei shot up 276. the hang seng gained 37. the nikkei is at a 53-month high as the u.s. dollar moves sharply higher against the yen this morning. the move came after reports of a japanese government plan to nominate a new chief of the central bank. it could be a broad step to spur economic growth. closer to home, we'll hear how much americans are spending on their homes with earnings from lowe's before the bell.

caesar's will weigh in with its quarterly report card. we'll hear if a wave of crime on the strip is cutting into the casino's bottom line. we'll find out how hertz is faring after last year's acquisition of dollar/thrifty. kfc going all out to crack down on quality control after reports suppliers foreign relations fattening poultry with antibiotics from china. sales could drop 25% this quarter. >> no more conference calls in your pjs. melissa meyer said all employees who work remotely have to come in to the office by june. we need to be physically together. department chain's macy's and j.c. penney will duke it out in court who has the right to sell martha stewart's branded bruise. amazon will jump start its streaming video service.

creators will get $10,000 for an option and a share of the royalties if there show is produced. oscar nominee helen hunt wore a strapless gown from h and m. straight ahead, sword swallowing in the big apple for a good state. ohio state takes on michigan state as march madness gets closer. you're watching "early today."

now to some stories that caught our eye this morning. we begin in california with a major melee between college baseball teams. fists began flying after one player was tagged out and shoved by an opposing player. the bench-clearing brawl between sacramento state and u.c. riverside led to three player ejections. in chicago, police arrested at least 20 people after rowdy teens stirred up chaos inside a shopping mall. >> jumping on top of cars. knocking out windshields, rearview mirrors, trying to get in stores. is opening traffic. throwing stuff at the police. anything you could think of they were doing it. on to new york city for the sixth annual world sword swallowing day. each year they gather to celebrate the craft and cram metal down their throats. yes, all for a good cause. it raises money for esophogeal cancer research.

>> in seattle, contestants meshed an old-school toy matched with new school moves at the yo-yo championships. performers were judged on technical execution and style. finally in connecticut, items donated to the survivors of the sandy hook shooting massacre are being shared with the community. after being inundated with toys, books, and school supplies, officials decided to hand out remaining donations to newtown families. in sports, an upset of one of the top teams in college ball. number 18 ohio state's aaron kraft had 21 points against number four michigan state. the buckeyes held off the spartans at the end for the 68-60 win. in the nba, a scoring duel as kobe bryant hit 13 of 48 points in the fourth quarter against dallas. the mavericks' dirt nowitski got 30 points. they got the victory 103-99. david beckham played with his new team as his wife watched from the stands. beckham made a pass that led to a goal, sealing the 2-1 victory. in hong kong now, a

101-year-old runner competed in a ten-kilometer race sunday, finishing in just over an hour and a half. singh who wears a turban and has a long gray beard is thought to be the oldest runner in the race. he will continue with his daily run. >> defending champs finished first at the 2013 iron dog sled race in alaska. they rode over 2,000 miles and raced over 36 hours to capture $50,000 for first prize in the longest and toughest snowmobile race in the world. ahead, we'll tell you which rock star just admitted to spending $6 million on illegal drugs. plus, the italian stallion versus the raging bull. no kidding. it's coming to a theater near you.

good morning and welcome back. we have another storm making its way into the pacific northwest. temperatures in the mid-40s from seattle right down into portland we're seeing it as mostly rain right now. but in the higher elevations, especially northwestern washington state we could end up with a foot or more of snow. boise, idaho will see snow today. salt lake city as well. tuesday more rain in seattle. it will start to dry out across northwestern oregon. california looks chilly in the north. milder down south.

l.a. should top out at 80 degrees for highs on tuesday. >> did you have a favorite out of the oscar dress? >> i thought everyoning looked stunning. no one stands out as bad. i did like jennifer hudson's dress. >> she looked good. dazzling and bright were the themes repeated on the red carpet at the oscars. from naomi watts and halle berry to charlize theron and jessica chastain, metallics and whites were the big hit. the best dressed was jennifer lawrence who wore this white dior gown which paired nicely with her new best actress oscar. let's not forget, though, about the youngest best actress nominee ever, quvenzhane wallis, and her super cute puppy purse. got to love that. and this 9-year-old's day got better when it was announced that she would play annie. the remake of the classical musical that will smith and jay-z will produce. it was to star smith's daughter until she dropped out. steven tyler admitted to spending around $5 million or $6

million on drugs. he went on to say, "it doesn't matter. you could say i've snorted half of peru. it's just what we did." if you ever wanted to see the stars of "rocky" and "raging bull" duke it out, you have got your wish. fit looking sylvester stallone and robert de niro filming a comedy about two old rivals who get back in the ring for one last bout. do you want to see it? >> for the hilarity of it. since it's a comedy. they won't take themselves too seriously. >> taking it to that level at this stage in their careers would be fun. >> i'm richard lui. this is "early today," just your first stop of the day today on your nbc station.

these impressive sculptures may be edible, but you may not want to bite into one. made entirely out of butter, these beautiful sculptures come in all kind of dazzling shapes and colors. to make sure the butter stays solid, monks at a chinese monastery keep their hands cold in icy water while working. the sculptures can take up to three months to create. cities across taiwan ended the lunar new year with a bang. a giant lantern was the centerpiece at the biggest festival to kick off the year of the snake. other celebrations saw the release of hundreds of paper lanterns and a flurry of bottle rockets and fireworks. being hit by a firecracker is thought to ward off evil

spirits. brave souls. and in colombia, one pint-sized primate has a cozy new home. a baby night monkey was brought to a wildlife center after he was found abandoned on the side of a highway. how could anybody abandon that guy. one staffer adopted the role of surrogate, carries him in her coat 24 hours a day. he even sleeps beside her. she plans to continue her role as mom until he's old enough to join the other monkeys. >> how would you find him on the side of a highway. he's so tiny. >> people are wondering what's inside your pocket? >> oh, my night monkey. an early look at stories we'll follow throughout the day. >> secretary of state john kerry is in london. secretary kerry is meeting with his british counter part before traveling on to berlin.

the national governor's meeting make their way to washington. president obama told governors we have more work to do. he's asking governors from both parties to work on the budget steal mate. happy birthday to rashida jones. all day stay on top of breaking news on msnbc. also the best political analysis. tonight be sure to watch brian williams with "nbc nightly news." and finally, a look at what's coming up later this morning on the "today" show. from red carpet hits and misses to surprise wins and snubs. "today" is live from los angeles with all the highlights from last night's academy awards. and olympic skiing star lindsay vonn opens up about her recovery, racing, and russia. a lot happening on the "today" show. now keep it on this channel for continuing local news, weather, sports, and much more. richard lui. thank you very much for watching "early today," just your first stop of the day on your nbc station. enjoy your monday.

happening now. lost at sea. the desperate search to find four people forced to abandon ship off pillar point. a new effort under way to find a missing bay area couple who disappeared in south america. >> it came true. >> and we will run down the big winners from last night's academy awards. right now we take a live look outside. that is spectacular. whether you are howling at it or dancing in the moonlight, this is the kind of way you want to start off the workweek on this

monday, february 25th. this is "today in the bay." >> i am truly inspired. mike inouye doing the "thriller" dance is impressive. i'm jon kelley. >> i'm marla tellez in for laura garcia-cannon. let's check the forecast with meteorologist christina loren. what a gorgeous weekend. >> it was nice out there. welcome back. mondays can be tough but the weather is going to make it easy for you this week. temperatures are chilly this morning. we are headed toward the upper 60s today. and by the end of the week, we're talking about the mid 70s. an early taste of spring. lots to talk about in your full forecast including those pollen levels creeping up. we'll get to that. coming up, i want to check your drive. he was howling at the moon on his way in. good morning, mike. >> maybe i was sniffling because of the pollen. great. can't wait for that to come up. looking toward the bay bridge, a