Hello, everybody. Well...Punxsutawney Phil is right again: Winter is halfway over, and there's still proof in many parts of the country, especially here in the South.

For the last few weeks in a row, we've been pelted with a deep freeze that made us wish we were in Hawaii by now; wind chills even went to as low as -20 in the Midwest areas. One Minnesota town even hit a temperature that I was always accustomed to in Alaska: -41F!!! The Siberian Express, which is responsible for all those record-breakers, have claimed 15 lives so far; and we're not done as heavy snow is expected in the Great Lakes and Northeast and yet another snowstorm about to hammer Boston sometime next week.

Of course, we all need a break from that, and that will be on Sunday with one of the biggest events in auto racing: the Daytona 500. But as soon as the checkered flag is raised and the winner makes his (or her, if you're Danica Patrick) way to the winners' circle, it's over to Hollywood for the biggest event in entertainment: the 87th Academy Awards!

Last year's show with host Ellen DeGeneres and the selfie that originally broke the Internet drew the highest ratings in four years. That was when Neil Patrick Harris opened the show with a rousing musical number before handing things over to Steve Martin and Alec Baldwin; this time, he's handling the festivities. 

In addition to producers Craig Zadan and Neil Meron, director Hamish Hamilton is back for his third show; in the last few years, veteran TV directors like Louis J. Horvitz (who himself did the Oscars for a dozen of years) and Glenn Weiss have been learning from him, especially Weiss. The video of him working the 2013 Tony Awards like a boss is probably why he beat Hamilton for the Emmy last year, while Horvitz for the Golden Globes got the close-ups of the winners during their speeches -- another Hamilton technique -- down pat.

Okay, enough with the technical stuff and on to what the Oscars are really all about: the films and nominees. Of the eight up for Best Picture, "Boyhood" stands a chance at being the favorite followed by "Birdman"; "American Sniper" (despite its box office success and an ongoing trial), "The Grand Budapest Hotel", "The Imitation Game", "Selma", "The Theory of Everything", and "Whiplash" all at least got a nomination certificate. For the first time ever this year, all of the categories were announced with J.J. Abrams and last year's Director Alfonso Cuaron reading the first half and Academy president Cheryl Davis and Chris Pine handling the second and most important half.

At first, Michael Keaton with his Golden Globe and Critics' Choice wins for Best Actor seemed to be the front-runner, but the momentum would immediately tip in Eddie Redmayne's favor. If I were Steve Carell, Bradley Cooper, or Benedict Cumberbatch (who got married just recently), I would just stay home. The same should go for 2007 winner Marion Cotillard, newcomers Felicity Jones and Rosamund Pike, and 2005 winner Reese Witherspoon, as Best Actress is all about Julianne Moore.

I'm leaving Supporting Actor/Actress alone since they will ultimately go to J.K. Simmons and Patricia Arquette respectively (despite the presences of returnees Edward Norton, Keira Knightley and Ethan Hawke, newcomer Emma Stone, and past winners Robert Duvall and three-timer Meryl Streep), so here's who else I think will be the happiest people on Earth the moment the words "And the Oscar goes to..." are read and the envelopes opened on Sunday:

Best Actor: Like I said, it's been the tightest race between Michael Keaton and Eddie Redmayne, but remember: Keaton was Batman and one of his successors, George Clooney, already owns two Oscars. Michael has two, Eddie has two himself (Screen Actors Guild and BAFTA); since the latter two really count, I'll have to go with Eddie Redmayne.

Best Actress: She has literally swept the board all during awards season with her performance as a college educator suffering with Alzheimer's, and...nah, who am I kidding; it's Julianne Moore all the way!

Director: Richard Linklater ("Boyhood")

Best Picture: "Boyhood"

We'll see how I fare with the rest of the world when the 87th Annual Academy Awards will be handed out this Sunday on ABC. So long, stay strong, and God bless.