and the oscar goes to the dogs. it's the oscar showdown that's good hollywood tongues wagging. uggie from "the artist"er have suz cosmo from "beginners" who will be named best in show at the biggest show in hollywood. this special edition of "showbiz tonight: road to gold" starts right now. hello from hollywood. i'm a.j. hammer, welcome to the special edition of "showbiz tonight: showbiz road to gold." we're live where the 84th annual academy awards will begin in a couple of hours. it is a spectacular day in southern california and there will be incredible oscar showdowns, george clooney up for best actor against pal brad pitt, meryl streep up for best actress against the incredibly talented viola davis tonight and that is just the beginning. the battles are set and we will be one on one with all of hollywood's biggest stars right there on the red carpet where michelle turner is live on the red carpet as all of the stars arrive and kareen wynter, the must see showdowns and joined by our fashion commentator lisa vanderpump, one of the stars of "the real housewives of beverly hill

i think where the oscar win helps is down the line, television sales, vod rights. en your film is an oscar winner for best picture it adds to the value of that product. >> after an oscar win you are getting more business and the numbers add up. how about the individual actors? are most nominees in the earning stratosphere already? >> it can definitely help an actor, no question. if he were to win that definitely would raise his price quote because now he would be an oscar winner. you will notice, too, in a lot of marketing for films it would say academy award winning actor so and so or academy award nominee raises the profile. however, we have heard oftentimes about the oscar curse. some actors after they win the oscar their career doesn't go anywhere. i don't want to see that happen to anyone in the future. it is definitely never a bad thing, i think, to win an oscar. >> sure. what are the trends this year? what are you expecting? >> i'm looking at "the artist" as a film that can do quite well at the oscars. of course, "the help" and "the descendants", these films

>> i'm looking at "the artist" as a film that c do quite well at t the oscars. cour, "the help" and "the descendants", these films are not doing that well at the box offifice. they are not getting that huge oscar bump that we normally see. in fact, if you add up the total at this point of the nine best picture nominees it is about $595 million. if you take last year's best picture nominees, there were ten of them last year to be fair, they add u up to $1.3 billion a this point so more than double the box office for the crop of best picture last year than this year simply because there is not a big giant "avatar" hit or with "kingspeech" winning had "toy ststory 3" and "inception" wit 293. this year we just don't have that. >> what kind of politics goines into all of this? are there politics? the studios trying to influence the nominations and voting? >> they put adds i in trade pas online to really not only boost their movie but also in the actors. they will really highlight the fact that let's say meryl streep is nominatedor "iron lady" they spend millions of d

and here on the oscar red carpet, the competition was red hot. >> who are you wearing? n oscar must-have. from gwyneth's cream gown, but these ladies chose to make a splash with color. michelle williams in louis vuitton. and who could forget this actress' shimmering dress. and the daring number, what about that slit? revealing a certain right leg that now has its own twitter page. even i was let in on say few red carpet secrets. you look good in the gold. >> she does, doesn't she. >> she cleans up nicely. >> who are you wearing? >> a tuxedo. >> by? >> a young guy called giorgio armani. >> who are you wearing? >> no underwear. >> how many pairs of spanx? >> only one tonight. >> you have a james bond thing going on? >> i should agree with you. the first mexican james bond. how's that? >> reporter: who knew these long trains are fear inducing? >> here's the problem for me. is. >> what's the problem? >> everyone's dress is so long, and if you step on it by accident. >> somebody was standing on my train for ten minutes. i just stood there. >> reporter: there are no strangers

i said, let's take them to the oscars too. and madonna took a picture with them at halftime at the super bowl. she kept calling me, you're about to go in front of 410 million people. said, i wanted to take picture

. >>> the business of oscar. does that golden statute translate into big money for an actor or studio. the answer may surprise you. "the wall street journal report begins right now. >>> this is america's number one financial news program, "wall street journal report." now, maria bartiromo. >>> here is a look at what is making news. as we head into a new week on wall street. the markets are watching two key numbers this week, one encouraging and one not so. the first oil, crude oil hit the $108 mark this week, mostly on concerns about rising tensions throughout the middle east. that's translating into higher gasoline, likely to increase as the summer driving season arrives. the other number to watch, dow 13,000. the dow touched that on tuesday and on friday. for the first time since 2008. though it did close below it this week. signs of life in the housing market. existing home sales jumping more than 4% in january, the highest pace in nearly two years. to an annual adjusted rate of 4.5 million. that is well below

the d.c. film society's 20th oscar party. movie fans can join in a silent and bid on movie memorabilia. >> the cast, the director. >> the real star of this show is the awards ceremony. >> it is lights, camera, action. it is the whole package. >> none of the people here is a the academy, of all of them have predictions. they think the movie the best picture it will be open " the artist." if they are right. >> arch campbell predicted "the artist" as best picture a month ago. >> we had a nice day today. a nice sunday full of sunshine. temperatures are a bit below average, but no complaints. high temperature at break and national airport made it up to -- reagan national airport, made it up to 49 degrees. the record is 74. the temperature at this hour is degrees. the wind chill factor is 42. 46, george washington university. alexandria, 44 degrees. temperatures are going to drop quickly as we move through the evening. winchester, 41. just off to the south and west us, st. louis, 63. these warmer temperatures are on the way for the

christopher plummer is the oldest actor to win an oscar. >> and the oscar goes to -- >> meryl streep added a third oscar. beat out viola davis from "the help." >> i had this feeling i could hear half of america going, oh, no. >> best supporting actress went to octavia spencer. >> i'm freaking out. >> another highlight was billy crystal. >> watching millionaires present each other with golden statues. >> i like to say that. that brings us to our water cooler question of the day. >> this morning we asked -- do you think a silent film should win best picture at the oscars? our facebook page, roberts says -- keep sending us those responses. we will read more of your responses in the next hour and post all of them on the front page of our website, wbaltv.com. >> to know what that means -- do you know what that means? pay joe flacco the money. the all-star game in orlando. kobe bryant, delayed, and lebron james -- duane wade. absolutely no defense. 36 for lebron james. the star was kevin durant. mvp.arns the and the he had 36. the west or the east. tournament played at the home of the musta

the film took home five oscars. it is the first silent film to win the academy's highest honor in 83 years. >> the celebration may have been short on surprises but it was full of memorable moment. >> and the oscar goes to -- "the artist." >> and the oscar goes to -- meryl streep. >> and the oscar goes to jean dujardins. >> "hugo"swept the technical categories. octavia spencer won best supporting actor and christopher plummer at 82 years old won best supporting actor for " beginnings." >> it's a wonderful night for oscar ♪ you didn't think i wasn't going to do this, did you? >> billy crystal kicked off the show. it was his first time hosting and about eight years and is ninth time total. we will have much more from the academy awards and a few minutes including the almost wardrobe malfunction and the red carpet's biggest mess. for a complete list of winners log onto our website wjla.com. >> the search continues for the suspects who robbed two georgetown students at gunpoint last night on n street near 33rd street. sus

with the more than usual number of surprises. >> and the oscar goes to -- "the artist." >> and the oscar goes to jean de jardin. >> a big night for the winners, the 84th annual academy awards did not disappoint. we arrivedme that departure, which happening now behind us. one of the big prizes tonight went to the best picture. and "the artist" sydow late. it was expected, especially picture and best certainly best jardin.r jean de a lot of people felt there would an upset for -- "the artist." but no upset. they saidee what the big winter cress i to say thank-you from the bottom of my heart. -- after the big win. i want to say thank-you from of marquardt. for only the award that any film maker would be happy to receive, but you offered me the toortunity to pay tribute of this academy that mind, the oscar berri.claude have been all not the fanfare around "the not for thet were n de jardin.jea >> i still think that it was a set that he got a best actor. clooney had ite in the bag. >> it was a surprise. he was excited about that win this take a look at animated acceptance. if george valentine

>>> and the oscar goes to -- "the artist." [ cheers and applause ] >> good morning. silence is golden. the artist wins five academy awards including best picture, best actor and best director. meryl streep takes best actress, her first oscar in 20 years. and octavia spencer and christopher plummer honored for their supporting roles. we have it for you today from los angeles, monday, february we have it for you today from los angeles, monday, february 27, 2012. captions paid for by nbc-universal television >>> and welcome to a special edition of "today" on a monday morning. i'm matt lauer in new york city. ann curry and al roker are in los angeles with a complete wrap-up of the oscars. ann, i think in los angeles it's a felony to steal an oscar. >> it definitely is. i didn't steal it. >> borrowed. >> i can't believe that mark bridges who won this for the artist loaned it to me because i'm not to be trusted. i might run home for it. "the artist" is the first to win hollywood's top prize since 1929. we'll talk to the men and women behind the film including best actor je

. >> people did the secret of the oscars. >> also one of the best oscar pundits around predicts who will walk away a winner sunday night. and why it's an honor just to be nominated for the oscars? this is "piers morgan tonight." >>> our big story tonight, newt gingrich taking aim at president obama on gas prices. >> so the president uses very strong language and says that those of us who believe he can get back to $2 gallon of gas is politics. that's baloney. it was $1.13 a gallon when i was speaker. that's a historic fact. >> in a moment i'll ask newt gingrich did he can really bring it down to $2.50 a gallon. and i'll talk to harvey wienstein about the movie "the artist." >> this is the biggest gamble the company took. it is the craziest thing ever. >> we begin tonight with newt gingrich's campaign that lost some steam since last month. with the michigan and arizona primaries looming on tuesday, the former speaker so far resisted any calls to drop out of the case. newt gingrich joins me now. how are you? >> i'm doing very well. glad to talk to you. i'm in seattle today. >> beautiful pa

>> reporter: and meryl streep took home the oscar for her portrayal of "the iron lady." >> i can hearalf of america going, oh, no, oh, come on, why her again? you know? but whatever. [ laughter ] >> reporter: oscar drama began in hollywood well before the academy awards even started when sacha baron cohen in character as the director dumped what he claimed was king jong-il's ashes over ryan seacrest. >> there's a little piece of you in everybody. >> i'm glad you like it. >> reporter: and there were memorable moments as well. 82-year-old christopher plummer became the best actor in history. >> you're only two years older than me, darling. where you have been all my life? >> reporter: and octavia spencer won best supporting actress for her portrayal of a black maid in segregated mississippi. with stunts from cirque du soleil, a musical interlude from will ferrell and zach galifianakis. and rommic relief. >> here's the best nominees. >> reporter: well "hugo" was also a big winner last night. though it didn't win in any of the so-called big categories, it also took home five oscars in all

it even stretched to the watch party like the roosevelt hotel, where the oscars began in 1929. >> the first oscars lasted only 15 minutes. they didn't even have an award for best supporting actor or actress back then. this year the supporting awards went to two very strong performances in two very different films. >> i'm wrapping up. i'm sorry. i'm freaking out. thank you world. >> it was a role of a feisty 1960s mississippi maid in the help that got octavia spencer her best supporting actress nod. a man in his 70s comes out as gay in "beginners" earned christopher plummer some long awaited recognition. >> only two years older than me darling. where have you been all my life [ laughter ] >> at 82, he's the oldest actor it ever win an oscar on a night as much about the past as the present. >> there weren't any big blockbusters to celebrate. there were no big surprises or upsets at last night's awards. still, guys, when it comes to glitz and glamour, the oscars remains the granddaddy of all awards shows. >> we'll talk to harvey weinstein and get his reaction once again. >>> tomorrow's m

the awards show. and one acting legend took home an oscar for the first time in nearly three decades.ou live ton oscararty in the bay area where people were rooting for "moneyball." >>> and now an nbc bay area editorial. >> i'm suzanne shaw. sometimes good intentions have unintended consequences. such as the case with california's three-strikes law. we intended to keep violent repeat criminals like murders and molesters off the streets. and that's worked. but it's also given life sentences to nonviolent offenders for such relatively minor crimes as shoplifting. california has more than 4,000 inmates serving 25 years to life for nonviolent crimes. to change this overly punitive part of the law, stanford professors crafted the three strikes reform act. nbc bay area supports three strikes reform so the punishment fits the crime. voters passed the three-strikes law in 1994 with enough signatures we can put it back on the ballot in 2012 and correct it. learn more at nbceditorials.com. >>> hollywood's biggest night was a big sweep for the artist. the black and white silent film took home the top three award

he has won every award out there leading up to the oscars. performance and he is one ever the greatest actors of all time. he is a fem actor and definitely going to win the award. i do think that nick nolte deserves it. nick nolte's performance in warrior is one of the best performances. most underrated film in 2011 and felt like that performance legitimately came from the heart. it was a very emotional and very engaging movie. you haven't seen it, check out warrior. think he should win but plummer will take the award. >> this asian lock. stone cold lock. no doubt about. this octavia spencer. octavia spencer for the help. seriously, i loved her performance. i saw it when it came out and i believe it was in august. and amazing performance. totally into the character. she was so fantastic. she deserves every award she has gotten and deserves the academy award. she will win and should win. >> good. so let's go to best actress now. >> this is going to be an interesting category. this is where the oscars actually get exciting because we honestly do

so just get the oscars in just in time. 50 the fresno.will thicken our clouds in the afternoon. mid-up toker 40s. 54 for san francisco. 53 for half moon bay. 58 for antioch 60 and increasing clouds for gilroy, and i do want to show you the accuweather seven-day forecast because a chance of showers moves inçó overnights night, early monday morning, mainly south of san jose. the wind picks up on monday afternoon. we'll look for clearing there and then rain likely as we headi to the overnight hours, tuesday andko wednesday, and then after that we'll see some more sunshine, drying things out and warming temperatures up. >> thank you, league. >> the daytona 500 tomorrow. >> he oscars is the big thing elsewhere, the daytona is it. see what danicka patrick did today, and terrell owens back in football and back on the field. mike tyson is not making a comeback but we spotted him in san carlos. all-star saturday in the nba highlighted by this guy. who? ♪ [ female announcer ] hamburger helper cheeseburger macaroni. now even cheesier and tastier. h

all about the oscars this morning. ig noise at the academy awards last night taking home five statues including best picture, best director and best actor for that man right there jean dujardin who described the experience to ann this morning as an out of body experience. why not? meanwhile out on the plaza in new york i'm matt lauer along with savannah guthrie. out in los angeles covering the awards, ann and al. hey, folks. >> it's been a major whirlwind here. pretty fun, i think. you had fun because you were on the red carpet. >> that's right. goit to hang out -- the interesting thing seeing all the hits and some of the misses. got a chance to chat up some of the stars on their way into the ceremony. you will get to see all the preaward red carpet highlights and fashion hits and misses and the hottest head to toe trends. then, of course, we have the partying but none of the hangover. after the awards were handed out, i hit the party circuit, continually stalking the a-listers. tough job. somebody had to do it. we'll s

exclusive access to the legendary oscar stage. e glamour, the excitement, and the greatest oscar party. starts right now. >>> and good morning, everyone. a lot to get to this morning. including the crazy weather hitting so much of the country. >>> and the story behind that video we just showed. everyone is okay. out of the way just before that train hits. it happened in delaware. we'll have more on that ahead. robin, you're in the center of the show business universe right now. >> that, i am, sir. i am, indeed. got great crowd here with us. i'm in hollywood's magnificent el capitan. with the crowd here, they'll be the first ones to tell you, it's the perfect backdrop for our show. i've been very busy, people, going behind the scenes for you. wait until you see oprah and jimmy kimmel like you have not seen them before. >> look forward to that. a little movie for everyone as well. >>> lert's get to sam. >> more snow than expected in some places. let's get to the pictures. chicagoland, less than expected. 1 to 3 inches of snow coating

the pump is headed. then excitement over tonight's oscars in hollywood. we will ask film critic january wall what movies deserve the awards. hoping you will join david, january and me on bay area focus next. >>> welcome to the show. i'm susan sikora. when i gas up my car these days i'm holding my breath watching the price numbers fly. will prices level off or will they continue to soar as the weather warms into summer travel? let's ask david baker. he covers energy for the "san francisco chronicle" writing about various fuels, renewable power and local energy companies including chevron and pg&e. david, welcome. >> thank you for having me. >> i bet you don't have good news for me today. >> not a lot, actually, no. >> y we tape this early on a thursday, i filled my gas tank up on tuesday and it was $4.11 a gallon, the next day the price was up to $4.25. what is going on. >> i checked the prices before i came in here, the statewide average went up seven cents overnight. we were in for a couple more days of that. it will level off a bit but it's not going to

. >>> "the artist" is the silent helowro of the oscars. we'll hear from all the big winners. >> >>> with just 24 hours to go to the michigan primary, we'll tell you what rick santorum has to grow up. >>> and harvey weinstein is back on top of hollywood once again. and another scary incident for carnival cruise ship passengers. >>> there is breaking news out of ohio. four students shot at a high school. >>> world leaders pressuring syria to stop shelling their own people. we sit down with secretary of state hillary clinton. >>> but we begin with a look at today's eye opener, your world in 90 seconds. >>> and the oscar goes to "the artist." >> a silent film makes the loudest noise. >> merci beaucoup! i love you! >> good evening. >> we bow to our fellow nominees. >> please wrap up. i'm wrapping up. i'm sorry. i'm freaking out. >> oh, come on. her again. >>> breaking news in ohio. four students reported wounded in a school shooting. >> we are told by the sheriff that at least one suspect believed to be a student was taken into custody. >> peopl

. >>> plus, the oscar goes to -- the cryer. or the kisser. or maybe the foul mouth. >> it's so [ bleep ]. oops. >> a look at the famous highs and lows of acceptance speeches. and what to watch for this sunday. >> announcer: from the global resources of abc news, with terry moran, cynthia mcfadden and bill weir in new york city, this is "nightline." february 24th, 2012. >>> good evening. i'm juju chang. tonight, we begin with exotic and dangerous animals, that might be lurking in a backyard near you. they're kept as pets by people who don't seem to mind what the neighbors think. with recent headlines about brutal animal attacks and lions and tigers and bears on the loose, we meet the guy who makes it his job to keep those predators caged and your town safe. his business, wild animal insurance. here's abc's matt gutman for our series, "american jungle." >> reporter: cute. but deadly. this might look like a zoo. but it's actually someone's backyard. these guys are closer than you think, living as pets, right next door. >> okay. >> reporter: a ra

how will billy crystal do and how long is the show going to run? we'll have an oscar preview coming up. >> plus a farm ma cyst protection her store. co workers are calling her mama bear. find out why. >> out at the airport 48 for a high. 48 is normal for this last weekend of february. there is warmer air on the way. we'll talk about how long this quiet set up can last. can it really be that long? as mark comes in, we'll find out coming up. >>> we're hours away from the a list red carpet invasion but the party kicked off last night with the in pend spirit awards. they are across town from the oscars and this year's coast seth right there. >> welcome to the independent spirit awards. the only award show that is completely inconsequential. nothing will come from this if you win. >> some of the night's biggest winners, chris stouffer plumber. when it was over the artest led the way with best feature and best actor. michelle williams won in my week with marilyn. the descendants took home two awards there so that is what we had last night. is that what we'll see tonight? ju

i said, let's take them to the oscars too. super bowl. she kept calling me, you're about to go in front of 410 million people. said, i wanted to take picture with the kids. last night, meryl streep was more concerned about those kids than she was about winning. there's a great picture. >> jimmy: so you're not a monster after all. [ applause ] well, great to have you here. very interesting to talk to you. keep making great movies. harvey weinstein, everyone. "the artist" still in theaters. we'll be right back with melanie fiona. >> jimmy: this is her forthcoming cd, it comes out march 20th. it's called "the mf life." here with the song "4 am," melanie fiona. ♪ sitting here feeling kinda crazy but not just any crazy it's the kind you feel when you love somebody ♪ ♪ and i know that my baby is calling somebody else baby and i can't sit still look how gone it got me ♪ ♪ who knew that my heart could have a bruise ♪ ♪ you see this scar here on my chest ♪ ♪ i'm hurting and he don't even care ♪ ♪ it's 4:00 a.m. and my lover won't answe

the did you know it's oscars today? n and laughing about the whole sally field, you love me, you love me, whatever. it was for cases of the heart. you remember that movie? >>. no i remember the speech. >> i guess we were wrong. 1980, wow! >> we are looking at some wild likes weather, it is chilly. santa rosa and napa, we had 30s. just a little bit above freezing and concord, fairfield and upper 30s on the peninsula sutro camera, see how nice and sunny, flag flowing just a little bit. compared to yesterday, moderate to light wind out of north at about 3-5 miles an hour. still a couple of 30s around. 37 in san rafael. elsewhere, slowly coming up to the 40s. 48 in redwood city. 50 in mountain view and los gatos. much colder than we were yesterday morning. 11 degrees colder in san rafael. 8 degrees cooling. clear and chilly with partly cloudy skies this afternoon. clouds will be on the increase ahead of a weak weather system that is going to keep that cold air in place. reinforce it and give us a quick shot of precipitation.

the money. where's my oscar? >> in the bag. >> is that you? >> jimmy: this is not the oscar i wanted! >> matt damon said to say hi. let's go! >> dicky: from hollywood, it's "jimmy kimmel live," after the academy awards. tonight -- oprah winfrey. with appearances from george clooney, tom hanks, martin score ses see, meryl streep and many more in "movie: the movie." plus music from coldplay. with cleto and the cletones. presented by bmw, the ultimate driving machine. and now, lights, camera, action. here's jimmy kimmel! ♪ it's "jimmy kimmel live" [ cheers and applause ] >> jimmy: well, hello there, everyone. i'm jimmy, i'm the host of the show. thank you for staying up late on sunday. as you know, the 84th annual academy awards just wrapped up right across the street from us. "the artist" won best motion picture. pretty good for a movie that's black and white and silent. just the way kim kardashian likes her men. octavia spencer won for the movie "the help." one of the few movies this year that was a hit at the box office and with the critics. it was so powerful, arnold schwarzenegger tr

the big morning after oscars party. olitics now p & a final day of campaigning for the republican candidates ahead of tomorrow's primaries. mitt romney and rick santorum are locked in a close battle for primary voters in michigan. romney, who stopped by the daytona 500, picked up a key endorsement from arizona governor jan brewer yesterday. and of course the daytona 500 was postponed until today. >> today, yeah. >>> well, some top republicans are saying no matter who wins tomorrow it is still anybody's race. >> it is your voice, your vote. and abc's rick klein is looking forward to the gop convention. good morning, rick. >> reporter: rob and paula, an extraordinary statement coming from the sitting republican governor of maine, paul le page. he says he wants an old-fashioned convention where "a dark horse can come out and do it in the fall." this underscores what mitt romney has already lost. even if he wins michigan on tuesday and he rolls to the nomination, the republican party is more fractured than ever. romney and r

-- predicting the oscars.ryone seems to think it is a foregone conclusion that the artist has won. it does not seem to be the year of the american film. >> steven spielberg's warhorse, -- woody we alan's alan's romantic comedy. the help is another contender for best film. its star is nominated for best actress. >> that brings today's show to a close. from all of us here at abc world news america, thank you for watching and have a good -- bbc world news america, thank you for watching and have a good weekend. >> make sense of international news at bbc.com/news. >> funding was made possible by -- the freeman foundation of new york, stowe, vermont, and honolulu, newman's own foundation, and union bank. >> at union bank, our relationship managers work hard to understand the industry you operate in, working to nurture new ventures and help provide capital for key, strategic decisions. we offer expertise and tailored solutions in a wide range of industries. what can we do for you? >> "bbc world news" was presented b