By the time Jennifer Lawrence alighted from her limousine wearing pink, form-fitting Dior Haute Couture, it was obvious that restrained, pale-hued gowns were the big trend on the 2013 Oscar red carpet.

"I'm starving," she told E! News' Ryan Seacrest, admitting that she did not have time to eat before arriving at the Dolby Theater in Hollywood.

Like many gracing the enormous carpet, food was not the focus of the afternoon. Instead, primping, curling and accessorizing held sway.

A prior arrival opting for a delicate shade akin to Lawrence's was fellow best actress nominee Jessica Chastain, who chose a tawny, Armani Prive column embellished with glittering beads and bright red lipstick. Best supporting actress nominee Anne Hathaway was pretty in pale pink Prada - a choice she made a mere three hours prior to hitting the carpet outside the Dolby Theater in Hollywood.

Also keeping the look light were Amy Adams in lilac Oscar de la Renta, Amanda Seyfried in Alexander McQueen and Octavia Spencer, whose Tadashi Shoji dress was topped with ring of tulle to create an elegant border that framed the actress' face and up-do.

Charlize Theron - sporting a super-short haircut following a close shave for a role - looked stunning in white, layered Dior Haute Couture.

Helen Hunt made one of the biggest statements of the night in her navy gown - by mass-retailer H&M, no less. "Accessible glamor," she called the look. So accessible she chose to pair it with $700,000 worth of diamonds. Now that's mixing high and low.

Another trend to emerge was metallic. Melissa McCarthy came swathed in silvery slate-gray by David Meister while nominee Naomi Watts looked sterling in sculptural Armani Prive. Norah Jones chose glittering, gunmetal Todashi Shoji. Going for gilt was Catherine Zeta-Jones, who looked a true golden girl in beaded Zuhair Murad.

Also in burnished metallic was Nicole Kidman wearing a skin-tight gold and noir sequinned column by L'Wren Scott. Looking every inch the former Bond girl, Halle Berry donned structured, gold sequinned Versace.

Color bursts were few and far between, making them all the more a statement among the sea of pale gowns and traditional black tuxedos.

"Django Unchained's" Kerry Washington dazzled in coral Miu Miu featuring a crystal-encrusted bodice. Jennifer Aniston - making her first Oscar appearance in four years - also chose a vibrant shade of crimson for her Valentino gown. Sally Field went for a draped and gathered Valentino dress in fire engine red as presenter Jane Fonda glided by looking electric in canary yellow Versace.

Wearing plum-colored Gucci, Jennifer Garner told E! that her nominated hubby Ben Affleck ("Argo") spent the afternoon ferrying their daughter to a spelling bee. "She won! Our family has already had a great day, so congratulations to our sweetie," Garner said. "And then she had a basketball game. Life goes on. No one really cares! It's just all about trying to keep the dogs and kids from getting stuff on the stuff."

Reese Witherspoon was a vision in black and blue Louis Vuitton that she said her daughter helped choose. Also in a blue mood was Jennifer Hudson in shiny Roberto Cavalli that took three separate fittings to ensure the perfect look.

Perhaps the wisest words on the red carpet can be attributed to the youngest best actress nominee in Oscar history. Nine-year-old Quvenzhané Wallis chose a cute navy Giorgio Armani dress accessorized with her trademark puppy purse (this time named Sammy after her dog at home). "It has been crazy," the "Beasts of the Southern Wild" star replied when Seacrest asked her opinion of the whole awards season leading up to that moment. "All of it."

In a long night of few surprises (Michelle Obama assisting Jack Nicholson!), "Argo" was named Best Picture at the 85th Annual Academy Awards Sunday night.

Ben Affleck's CIA thriller about the Iran hostage crisis managed to grab the top prize while not being included in the director category. The last time such an upset occurred was in 1989 when "Driving Miss Daisy" took best picture and the directing award went to Oliver Stone for "Born on the Fourth of July."

Announced by Nicholson (on hand at the Dolby Theater in Hollywood) and the first lady via satellite from the White House, the "Argo" producers -- Affleck, Grant Heslov and George Clooney -- took the stage to grasp their statues at the end of what felt like a lengthy, often bloated ceremony.

Calling fellow nominee Steven Spielberg a "genius" ("Lincoln" was a favorite in the category), Affleck delivered a moving acceptance speech in which he thanked family and coworkers before reminding viewers of his previous win (screenplay) for "Good Will Hunting" in 1998.

"I was here years ago or something," Affleck said. "I had no idea what I was doing ... I never thought I would be back here."

Fighting his emotions, the actor/director/producer went on to say that, "It doesn't matter how you get knocked down in life, cuz that's gonna happen. All that matters is that you gotta get up." "Argo" also took honors for film editing and adapted screenplay.

Oscars 2013: Best and Worst Dressed

The shutout continued for Spielberg and "Lincoln" in the directing category. "Life of Pi" director Ang Lee was awarded the prize in what was a replay of 2006, which saw Lee take the same category for "Brokeback Mountain" while "Crash" was awarded best picture. "Thank you movie god," Lee said in accepting the Oscar. "I really need to share this with all three thousand who worked with me on "Life of Pi.'"

"Pi" took four awards in all, more than any other movie Sunday night. As well as directing, the film's haul consisted of original score, visual effects and cinematography.

Best actress winner Jennifer Lawrence took a minor tumble thanks to her voluminous Dior gown as she made her way up the stairs to claim the statue for her role in "Silver Linings Playbook." 

"You guys are standing up because you feel bad that I fell," she said.

Lawrence's win didn't come as a shock in the acting categories, with the majority of Oscars being handed to favorites. Perhaps the biggest favorite heading into Hollywood's biggest night was Daniel Day-Lewis for "Lincoln."

Cracking wise that he had originally committed to play Margaret Thatcher and that it was Meryl Streep who was Spielberg's first choice to play the titular role of "Lincoln," Lewis walked away with his third best actor win (a record) following statues for 1990's "My Left Foot" and "There Will Be Blood" in 2008.

Earlier, Christoph Waltz beat out a deep field of previous Oscar winners to take best supporting actor for his role in Quentin Tarantino's "Django Unchained." It was another Tarantino film, "Inglourious Basterds," for which Waltz won the same award in 2009. The director himself would later be called onstage to accept the award for original screenplay for "Django."

Oscars 2013: Full List of Winners

By the midpoint of the telecast, the musical adaption of the Victor Hugo French revolution-set novel "Les Miserables" was on to its third statue thanks to Anne Hathaway's win for best supporting actress.

After dominating the awards season for her portrayal of the doomed prostitute Fantine, Hathaway noted her Oscar win by saying, "it came true." She wrapped up the speech by saying, "Here's hoping that someday in the not too distant future the misfortunes of Fantine will only be found in stories and not in real life."

"Les Mis" also scored wins in the sound mixing and makeup and hairstyling categories.

Oscars also went to the French-language film from Austria, "Amour," for best foreign language film, Pixar's "Brave" for best animated feature film, best animated short "Paperman" and "Anna Karenina" for costume design.

First time host Seth MacFarlane opened the proceedings by citing some of the big questions hovering over the ceremony: Ben Affleck's exclusion from the best director category, Daniel Day-Lewis' method acting approach to "Lincoln," and whether or not he could make Tommy Lee Jones laugh.

The "Family Guy" creator played it relatively safe with his early remarks -- so safe that producers employed a pre-recorded William Shatner to don his Captain Kirk uniform and pretend to be the iconic character beamed back from the future to stop MacFarlane messing up the ceremony.

Shatner went so far as to publicly wish for Amy Poehler and Tina Fey (whose hosting gig at the Golden Globes in January received wide acclaim) to take the reins. A taped sketch in which MacFarlane wore the wimple and habit of Sister Betril from "The Flying Nun" -- in front of Sally Field, no less -- garnered the most laughs from the seated A-list crowd.

Billed as a celebration of movies and their music, big performances were the order of the evening.

Previous winner and Bond girl Halle Berry introduced a visual and musical mash-up of 50 years of 007. Beginning with Monty Norman's classic James Bond theme, the montage touched lightly on the films before Dame Shirley Bassey took the stage to belt out perhaps the Bond song she is most known for, "Goldfinger." The 76-year-old diva -- in her first Academy Award appearance -- brought the audience to their feet as she powerfully drew out the final note.

Oscars Red Carpet: Beyond the Pale

The Bond celebration was a successful melding of the image and the sound. While aurally pleasing, the next big musical number played out more like an homage to Broadway than the silver screen. Catherine Zeta-Jones slipped into her "Chicago" best to slink about the stage as she sang "All That Jazz," before Jennifer Hudson proved her vocal prowess with a stunning rendition of "And I Am Telling You I'm Not Going" from "Dreamgirls."

Next up it was the gang from "Les Miserables," led by Hugh Jackman singing "Suddenly" before he was joined onstage by his fellow castmembers (including Russell Crowe, Sacha Baron Cohen, Helena Bonham Carter, Eddie Redmayne, Amanda Seyfried, Samantha Barks and Anne Hathaway) for "One Day More." The performance was like something from a telecast of the Tonys.

The night's more straightforward musical numbers belonged to Adele and Barbra Streisand. For her first Oscar gig in 36 years, Streisand ended the In Memoriam segment by singing  "The Way We Were," a song written by her close friend and collaborator Marvin Hamlisch who passed away in 2012. Grammy winner Adele performed the theme song to "Skyfall," which went on to score the Oscar in the original song category.

As the "Argo" crew headed into the night to celebrate their win and the clock ticked perilously close to midnight, MacFarlane was joined onstage by Kristen Chenowith for one last tongue-in-cheek song and dance - this time to honor (and name) the evening's losers.

Best Picture
"Argo"

Best Actress
Jennifer Lawrence, "Silver Linings Playbook"

Best Actor
Daniel Day-Lewis, "Lincoln"

Best Director
Ang Lee, "Life of Pi"

Best Supporting Actor
Christoph Waltz, "Django Unchained"

Best Supporting Actress
Anne Hathaway, "Les Misérables"

Best Animated Short
“Paperman,” John Kahrs

Best Animated Film
“Brave” Mark Andrews and Brenda Chapman

Best Foreign Language Film
“Amour,” Austria

Best Cinematography
“Life of Pi,” Claudio Miranda

Best Visual Effects
“Life of Pi,” Bill Westenhofer, Guillaume Rocheron, Erik-Jan De Boer and Donald R. Elliott

Best Costume Design
“Anna Karenina,” Jacqueline Durran

Best Makeup and Hairstyling
“Les Misérables,” Lisa Westcott and Julie Dartnell

Best Live Action Short
“Curfew,” Shawn Christensen

Best Documentary Short
“Inocente,” Sean Fine and Andrea Nix Fine

Best Documentary
“Searching for Sugar Man,” Malik Bendjelloul and Simon Chinn

Best Sound Mixing
“Les Misérables,” Andy Nelson, Mark Paterson and Simon Hayes

Best Sound Editing
Tie - “Skyfall” Per Hallberg and Karen Baker Landers & “Zero Dark Thirty” Paul N.J. Ottosson

Best Editing
“Argo,” William Goldenberg

Production Design
“Lincoln,” Production Design: Rick Carter; Set Decoration: Jim Erickson

Best Original Score
“Life of Pi,” Mychael Danna

Best Original Song
“Skyfall” from “Skyfall,” music and lyrics by Adele Adkins and Paul Epworth

Best Adapted Screenplay
“Argo,” by Chris Terrio

Original screenplay
“Django Unchained,” by Quentin Tarantino


 

Seth MacFarlane and Tina Fey, two very funny people who share little else than a fondness for cutaway gags, both offered the same two-word response this week when asked about hosting the Oscars next year: "No way." 

Hester is founding director of the award-winning, multi-media NYCity News Service at the City University of New York Graduate School of Journalism. He is the former City Editor of the New York Daily News, where he started as a reporter in 1992. Follow him on Twitter.

Seth MacFarlane’s clever, if somewhat protracted, opening bit at Sunday night’s Academy Awards starred his hero, Captain Kirk, who traveled back in time to prevent a hosting performance certain to earn the wrath of Hollywood. 

Hester is founding director of the award-winning, multi-media NYCity News Service at the City University of New York Graduate School of Journalism. He is the former City Editor of the New York Daily News, where he started as a reporter in 1992. Follow him on Twitter.

Ben Affleck suffered one of the biggest snubs of the Oscar season six weeks ago when his name wasn't among the five nominees for Best Director, but as the witching hour approached during Sunday night's Academy Awards show, he was vindicated.

"Argo," which Affleck directed and starred in, tells the true(-ish) story of a spy who smuggled six Americans out of Tehran during the Iran Hostage Crisis. A commercial and critical hit, the film and its director seemed destined for Academy Awards triumph, until one of them got derailed.

Affleck's exclusion was such a surprise that even Oscars host Seth MacFarlane made a crack about it at the top of the show.

"('Argo') is so top secret, that the director is unknown to the Academy," quipped MacFarlane.

"Argo" picked up an early award for editing, and later Chris Terrio took the award for Best Adapted Screenplay, and suddenly the film's chances for the top prize were coming into focus. With no film taking multiple awards in the major categories, Best Picture was there for the taking.

Oscars 2013: Full List of Winners

Making the Best Picture win all the more historic was that it was presented by Jack Nicholson, with an assist from first lady Michelle Obama live via satellite from the White House.

Affleck stood to the side when he first got on stage, as his co-producer Grant Heslov stepped forward to address the audience.

"The reason I wanted to speak before Ben, is because Ben is a producer on the film and he's also our director and I thought it would be awkward for Ben to thank himself. But it's not awkward for me," Heslov said. "So on behalf of George (Clooney, another producer on the film) and myself, I want to thank you, Ben. You directed a hell of a film. Couldn’t be more proud of the film, couldn’t be more proud of Ben."

Oscars Red Carpet: Beyond the Pale

Though Affleck remained humble in accepting the award, the snub was clearly on his mind.

"I want to thank all the people who extended themselves to me when they had nothing to benefit from it--I couldn't get them a job. I want to thank them and I want to thank what they taught me which is that you have to work harder than you think you possibly can. You can't hold grudges, it's hard, but you can't hold grudges. And it doesn’t matter how you get knocked down in life, cuz it's gonna happen. All that matters is that you gotta get up."

The Best Picture win for "Argo" puts the film in rarefied company, as it is now one of only four to take the top prize at the Oscars without its director even getting a nomination. "Argo" joins "Wings" in 1928, "Grand Hotel in 1932 and "Driving Miss Daisy" in 1989 in making Oscar history. Meanwhile, Affleck joins the ranks of William Wellman, Edmund Goulding and Bruce Beresford as men who were the driving force of the year's best film, but not somehow among the five best directors.

The pressure is most definitely on for Seth MacFarlane come Sunday's Oscar ceremony.

The "Family Guy" and "Ted" creator will make his debut as host of the 85th Annual Academy Awards, a thankless task according to many, including MacFarlane. “It’s a really bad match,” he told CNN. “I’m the wrong guy to do this.”

Whether MacFarlane was joking when he uttered the above is part of the provocative comedian's allure, and the keep-em-guessing, in-your-face, is-he-or-isn't-he-serious edge may just work in his favor on the night.

While he cracked wise during the nominations telecast in January (his scathing repertoire included a Hitler joke and description of screenwriters as lazy), MacFarlane recognizes that the Oscar audience - both those in attendance and the millions watching at home - is a unique beast. "It's a different crowd," he told E! News, adding, "It's a very talented crowd, but it's also a very thin-skinned crowd."

Blending traditional showmanship with edgier humor may be the key to his success during the ceremony. Possessing a strong singing voice he is never shy of showcasing ("Family Guy" musical numbers abound throughout the series), and with a list of performers that includes Barbra Streisand, Adele, Jennifer Hudson, Nora Jones, Shirley Bassey and the cast of "Les Miserables," MacFarlane looks to have the showmanship angle covered.

How his acerbic quips, raunchy one-liners and barbed comebacks land remains to be seen.

Where MacFarlane has already succeeded is giving the Oscars a fresh(er) face in the lead up to Sunday's ceremony. Something sorely needed as the end of a long awards season approaches, one which ultimately produced few surprises in regards to cinematic winners and losers.

Ben Affleck's shut out of the best director category (along with "Zero Dark Thirty's" Kathryn Bigelow) added spice to the nominations reveal, but the subsequent showering of awards on Affleck's CIA thriller "Argo" has dispelled any mystery over whether the film has the power to beat "Lincoln" for best picture.

Oscars 2013: Full List of Nominees

Given the rarity for a film to win best picture without also holding a directing nomination - the last time it occured was in 1989 when "Driving Miss Daisy" took the top honor while the directing award went to Oliver Stone for "Born on the Fourth of July" - it was "Lincoln," holding a leading 12 nominations including picture and one for director Steven Spielberg, that looked to be the film to beat early in the season run-up.

"Lincoln's" shadow was soon diminished due to "Argo" dominating the top categories at the Golden Globes and ceremonies held by the Screen Actors Guild, the Directors Guild of America and the Producers Guild of America.

"There's this groundswell of support for 'Argo' that took a lot of people by surprise, and it's making me think that the omission of Ben Affleck in the best-director category was the best thing that ever happened to that movie," Dave Karger, chief correspondent for Fandango.com, told the AP.

Joining "Argo" and "Lincoln" in the best picture race are "Amour," "Beasts of the Southern Wild," "Django Unchained," "Les Miserables," "Life of Pi," "Silver Linings Playbook" and "Zero Dark Thirty."

 Students Replace Models as Oscar Trophy Carriers

Any upsets on the night could be thanks to "Silver Linings Playbook," the family-based dramedy dealing with mental illness which has gone on to be an audience-, and possibly Academy-pleaser. The film also garnered Oscar nominations for David O. Russell (directing), Bradley Cooper (actor) Robert De Niro (supporting actor) and Jackie Weaver (supporting actress). The film has recently gained momentum due to heavy studio campaigning and positive audience response.

Russell and "Life of Pi's" Ang Lee will compete with Spielberg, Michael Haneke ("Amour") and Benh Zeitlin ("Beasts of the Southern Wild") for the directing award.

In the acting categories, Daniel Day Lewis is expected to earn his third Oscar for his titular performance in "Lincoln," while Jennifer Lawrence (hot off a SAG win for her role in "Silver Linings Playbook") looks to battle it out for best actress with "Zero Dark Thirty’s“ Jessica Chastain (who nabbed the Golden Globe in the same category).

The best actress contingent also includes the youngest and oldest nominees in the award's history with "Amour's" Emmanuelle Riva, who is 85, and 9-year-old Quvenzhane Wallis of "Beasts of the Southern Wild" named alongside Lawrence, Chastain and Naomi Watts (for "The Impossible").

Other Oscar favorites include Anne Hathaway as supporting actress for "Les Miserables," Tommy Lee Jones as supporting actor for "Lincoln."

Oscar Fashion Faux Pas of the Past

Host MacFarlane is also a nominee for his tune "Everybody Needs a Best Friend," which will compete against Adele's "Skyfall" in the original song category.

Keeping the show to the allocated three hours will also be a task for MacFarlane as he transitions the audience between award reveals, performances and the usual roster of segments that includes in memoriam, official Academy speeches and accounting personnel walk-ons.

Aiding him in his duties is a deep roster of presenters. Seven-time Oscar nominee and two-time winner Jane Fonda will be on hand, as will Jennifer Aniston, Michael Douglas, Jessica Chastain, Queen Latifa, Daniel Radcliffe, John Travolta, Ben Affleck, Nicole Kidman, Jennifer Lawrence, Sandra Bullock, Halle Berry, Melissa McCarthy, Reese Witherspoon, Meryl Streep, Kerry Washington, Kristen Stewart, Channing Tatum, Charlize Theron and "Avengers" cast members Robert Downey Jr., Samuel L. Jackson, Chris Evans, Mark Ruffalo and Jeremy Renner.

Other segments aimed at ensuring audiences remain tuned in throughout the evening include a celebration of the James Bond franchise - which marked five decades on screen with the release of "Skyfall" - and an appearance by Mark Wahlberg and the animated bear from "Ted,"  voiced by Seth MacFarlane.

Like the host didn't have enough to do already.

The 85th Annual Academy Awards will broadcast live on ABC on Sunday, Feb. 24.

What’s in a name? When it’s Coppola, apparently it’s a penchant for Oscar nominations.

Roman Coppola is the latest member of the famous clan of filmmakers to join the ranks of Academy Award nominated family members - together the family has 23 nominations and nine wins thus far, including those for Roman’s father Francis Ford Coppola, sister Sofia Coppola, grandfather Carmine Coppola, aunt Talia Shire and cousin Nicolas Cage.

With his Best Original Screenplay nomination for “Moonrise Kingdom” alongside collaborator Wes Anderson, Coppola reflects on adding to the clan’s unique distinction at the Oscars, and what it meant to have the quirky underdog film become a beloved hit.

Did it ever factor into your brain at all when you were working on the film that this could be where you ended up?

You know, it's totally a surprise. You're just doing the work. You're thinking about the project, and sometimes you daydream – like, ‘Oh wow, will people really like this?’ And you always kind of feel that way, but this one surprised me, certainly. It really seemed to have been embraced and now with the awards stuff and the Academy Award nomination. I would never daydreamed about that. So it's a wonderful break.

Anderson's films always touch people in a certain way, but there was something unique and extra-special about this one. Do you have a sense of what it was that clicked?

It’s so mysterious! I would just be speculating. I think that the subject matter having to do with young love, and there are these two very sympathetic characters, a big debt is owed to that – the performers who portray those characters, the kids. I think there is something so moving and touching about seeing young people discovering love, and a lot of people relate to that or have some experience, and it's filled with their emotion, so perhaps that has something to do with it.

With the recent notices you have gotten, you havenow become part of the family lore. Did that mean something special to be able to join the rest of the family in those ranks?

It did. I was with my parents when I heard the news, and they were really delighted. There's a nice cheer that went around. We were in a car together going to the airport. Yeah, it was moving. Our family is very close. We have a wonderful tradition of being connected with the arts, and film in particular.

Did you have to make a conscious decision to go into the business, because everybody had their own particular territory carved out?

It just sort of flowed. I didn't really have a master plan or didn't think about it too much. I think, if anything, I was a little bit precious. When it comes to feature filmmaking I'd been a little bit precious in that. If I'm going to spend that time to do a film, I want it to really be a reflection of who I am and what I am interested in and be a personal work. When it comes to commercials and other videos, in short form, I'm much freer. I think, perhaps if I wasn't from such a noted film family or whatever, maybe I would have done some horror movie.

What’s your best Charlie Sheen story from directing him on “A Glimpse Inside the Mind of Charles Swan III?”

It’s funny because people say ‘What was he like?’ ‘Was he crazy?’ ‘It must have been insane.’ But Charlie is super-together, talented, witty, funny, charming. When we were making the movie he was never late, always knew his lines. So I have no good stories to tell, because he was contrary to what you all expect.

Put on your producer’s hat and tell me about ‘The Bling Ring,’ which your sister Sofia directed.

'Bling Ring' is very exciting. It's a remarkable story – a true story, or based on true events, as you know. Sofia, it’s in her style – which is totally from her perspective – and the pacing and the music and just the tone, it is very much her kind of movie, which we all love. I think people are going to really be interested and intrigued.

Are you going to take a break? Do you know what you want to do next?

I don't have a precise plan, but I'm excited to have just a little mini break, and then I’ll jump right into something. I don't know what that is quite yet.

 

It wasn't a good year for great films, but it was a pretty good year for good films, making this year's Oscar race a little more wide open than usual.

Many Las Vegas sports books post odds on the Oscar races but it's all good speculative fun as U.S. casinos prohibit wagering on entertainment events that have known outcomes. If you really want to put some money down search out some international online sites where laws aren't quite as prohibitive. Kevin Bradley, sports book manager for Bovada, a sports betting site licensed in Canada told the Los Angeles Times that Oscar business is up 20% from last year.

Bradley, who has been tracking the race since the award season began, said the biggest movement has been in the best picture race. "Four score and seven weeks ago, everybody was betting 'Lincoln,'" quipped Avello. "Now, nobody. It's all 'Argo.'" The Ben Affleck-directed thriller has become a 1-2 favorite to win.

Far less scientific was late night host Jimmy Fallon. He used puppies to predict which film would take the top honor. For the record, the pups also went with "Argo."

For those handicapping the race from the comfort of their couch, predicting the winners is a lot like taking the SATs: if you can eliminate one or two wrong answers, you significantly increase your chances of success.

It is with that in mind that we tackle the six most prestigious prizes at the 85th annual Academy Awards.

Best Picture
"Argo"
Weirdly, despite director/star Ben Affleck being snubbed in the Best Director category, the Iran Hostage Crisis drama has been gaining steam, picking up awards across the country, including at the Golden Globes. Many of the other nominees have glaring "weaknesses" that will likely prevent them from offering much competition: "Amour" is in French; "Beasts of the Southern Wild" made only $12 million; "Django Unchained" and "Zero Dark 30" are too controversial… "Argo" is the only nominee that made a ton of money, and was both serious and fun.

Oscars 2013: Full Coverage

Best Director
Steven Spielberg, "Lincoln"
With Affleck (and "Zero Dark 30"'s Kathryn Bigelow) out of the picture, this comes down to a couple of previous winners, Lee ("Brokeback Mountain" in 2005) and Spielberg ("Saving Private Ryan" in 1998, "Schindler's List" in 1993). Spielberg's "Lincoln" stars our greatest living actor, Daniel Day-Lewis, playing the guy who freed the slaves, while Lee's "Life of Pi" is visually breathtaking, but otherwise unsatisfying.

Best Actor
Daniel Day-Lewis, "Lincoln"
We'll say it one more time: "Lincoln" stars our greatest living actor, Daniel Day-Lewis, playing the guy who freed the slaves.

Best Actress
Jennifer Lawrence, "Silver Linings Playbook"
Emmanuelle Riva spoke French in "Amour", while Quevenzhané Wallis ("Beasts Of The Southern Wild") and Naomi Watts (“The Impossible”) starred in films that grossed a combined $30 million. None of this is to take away from any of their performances, but the race is down to Lawrence and Chastain, two of Hollywood's most talented and beautiful young actresses, who gave turns that couldn’t be much more different--Lawrence was brilliant and funny as an emotionally troubled young woman in the feel-good hit "Silver Linings Playbook," and Chastain brought a smoldering intensity to the hunt for Bin Laden in "Zero Dark Thrity." We're leaning toward Lawrence in part because of the controversy surrounding "ZD30."

Oscars Bet on Fresh Host, Big Performances

Best Supporting Actor
Robert De Niro, "Silver Linings Playbook"
In most other films, Philip Seymour Hoffman ("The Master") or Christoph Waltz ("Django Unchained") would be the leads, but these guys found themselves, fairly or not, relegated to second-banana status for their nominated roles. Arkin was his usual awesome self, but no more, and his character was too far removed from the center of the film. This will come down to the grizzled veterans, Tommy Lee Jones ("Lincoln") and Robert De Niro ("Silver Linings Playbook"), each of whom already has one of these trophies on their mantle. De Niro could have the edge simply because the Academy is so thrilled to see him doing good work again.

Best Supporting Actress
Anne Hathaway, "Les Miserables"
With all due respect to Amy Adams ("The Master"), Sally Field ("Lincoln"), Helen Hunt ("The Sessions") and Jacki Weaver ("Silver Linings Playbook"), this race was won when Hathaway sang the final note of "I Dreamed a Dream." In fact, Hathaway probably also gave the second-best supporting turn of any actress in 2012, with her work as Catwoman in "The Dark Knight Rises.

Oscars host Seth MacFarlane and Emma Stone announced the nominees for this year's Oscars.

Below is a full list of the nominees.

Picture
Beasts of the Southern Wild
Silver Linings Playbook
Zero Dark Thirty
Lincoln
Les Miserables
Life of Pi
Amour
Django Unchained
Argo

Actress in a Leading Role
Naomi Watts - The Impossible
Jessica Chastain - Zero Dark Thirty
Jennifer Lawrence - Silver Linings Playbook
Emanuelle Riva - Amour
Quvenzhané Wallis - Beasts of the Southern Wild 

Actor in a Leading Role
Daniel Day-Lewis - Lincoln
Denzel Washington - Flight
Hugh Jackman - Les Miserables
Bradley Cooper - Silver Linings Playbook
Joaquin Phoenix - The Master

Actress in a Supporting Role
Sally Field - Lincoln
Anne Hathaway - Les Miserables
Jacki Weaver - Silver Linings Playbook
Helen Hunt - The Sessions
Amy Adams - The Master

Actor in a Supporting Role
Christoph Waltz - Django Unchained
Philip Seymour Hoffman - The Master
Robert De Niro - Silver Linings Playbook
Alan Arkin - Argo
Tommy Lee Jones - Lincoln

Director
David O. Russell - Silver Linings Playbook
Ang Lee - Life of Pi
Steven Spielberg - Lincoln
Michael Haneke - Amour
Benh Zeitlin - Beasts of the Southern Wild

Original Screenplay
Flight
Zero Dark Thirty
Django Unchained
Amour
Moonrise Kingdom

Adapted Screenplay
Beasts of the Southern Wild
Argo
Lincoln
Silver Linings Playbook
Life of Pi

Foreign Feature
Amour
No
War Witch
A Royal Affair
Kon-Tiki

Animated Feature Film
Frankenweenie
The Pirates! Band of Misfits
Wreck-It Ralph
ParaNorman
Brave

Music, Original Song
"Before My Time" from Chasing Ice
"Pi's Lullaby" from Life of Pi
"Suddenly" from Les Miserables
"Everybody Needs a Best Friend" from Ted
"Skyfall" from Skyfall

Cinematography
Anna Karenina
Django Unchained
Life of Pi
Lincoln
Skyfall

Costume Design
Anna Karenina
Les Misérables
Lincoln
Mirror Mirror
Snow White and the Huntsman

Documentary Feature
5 Broken Cameras
The Gatekeepers
How to Survive a Plague
The Invisible War
Searching for Sugar Man

Documentary Short
Inocente
Kings Point
Mondays at Racine
Open Heart
Redemption

Film Editing
Argo
Life of Pi
Lincoln
Silver Linings Playbook
Zero Dark Thirty

Makeup and Hairstyling
Hitchcock
The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey
Les Misérables

Music, Original Score
Anna Karenina
Argo
Life of Pi
Lincoln
Skyfall

Production Design
Anna Karenina
The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey
Les Misérables
Life of Pi
Lincoln

Short Film, Animated
Adam and Dog
Fresh Guacamole
Head over Heels
Maggie Simpson in "The Longest Daycare"
Paperman

“Silver Linings Playbook” writer-director David O. Russell didn’t write the film’s lead female role Tiffany specifically with Jennifer Lawrence in mind – but given their similarities he might as well have. But it took the Oscar-nominated actress a while to realize it.

“She would always say, 'Wow. I've never seen a character like this: someone who's so fierce and bullheaded, yet vulnerable and independent, yet uncaring what people think about her,' “ recalls Russell. “I'm going 'What are you talking about? What about you?'”

Lawrence – who’s become as admired away from the big screen for her wry, call-it-as-she-sees-it persona as she is for her acting abilities – chuckles as she admits she didn’t immediately notice the parallels. “I don’t ever really feel like I have anything in common with characters,” she says. “It takes other people to point it out. David always calls me stubborn and tells me I have that in common with Tiffany. I don’t really know because I never really felt like, personally, I had a lot in common with any of my characters. When David wrote Tiffany, he had no idea who I was.”

Still, the 22-year-old actress – now a two-time Best Actress nominee after receiving a nod for 2010’s “Winter’s Bone” – concedes there may be a subconscious attraction at work. “There's a reason that I feel passionately about certain characters, and sometimes that's because you see a little bit of yourself in them, or then sometimes it's because you see zero part of yourself in them and you're just kind of fascinated by them as people,” Lawrence admits.

“She’s just an enigma,” the actress says of Tiffany. “She’s very stubborn and bull-headed, but at the same time, she’s full of insecurities. For every flaw, she has a reason for why it’s okay…She taught Bradley Cooper’s character ‘You’re not always going to be able to fix yourself, but just like yourself.’ She teaches him to just accept certain things about yourself, and I loved that. I loved her strength and her weaknesses, but her strength is accepting her weaknesses. I think it’s probably the same reason that audiences have fallen in love with her.”

Oscars 2013: Full List of Nominees

Russell, who’s nominated as Best Director, developed the film over five years seeking to create an experience that would speak to his son, who is bipolar and has OCD, and illustrate the importance of relationships for those traveling a rough emotional road.

“The risk was in characterizing these people accurately, in terms of their struggle,” says the director, “whether you're someone who's got a mood disorder, or any moment in your life that has put you in danger of losing your human dignity. We tend to fear these people, maybe because they make us afraid of what's inside ourselves or what could happen to us when the opposite needs to happen."

"I can say that my son made me that much more likely to want to walk up to any such individual anywhere and knowingly say to them, 'Hey, how's it going?' That's why we made the film. For Jennifer to have given her heart to it, that's very, very special to me. She makes all these people very approachable, and she does it with such a lack of pretense because she's so approachable. She is the extraordinary next to the ordinary, and that's what is so riveting about her.”

Oscar Fashion Faux Pas of the Past

Lawrence says working on the film with Russell “was probably the best experience of my life, because of his passion and spontaneity. It’s really rare that somebody who’s a genius can actually communicate, and he can. A lot of people have these amazing ideas and amazing stories, but they don’t have a way to communicate.  He can communicate technically and emotionally, and I’ve seen him tailor himself to whatever an actor needs. Most of my favorite performances from my favorite actors are in his movies.”

Russell says that Lawrence’s appeal on screen and off is a study in contrasts. “A huge part of her charm is that there's something very pure and childlike about her, but at the same time, she's a very old soul, and why does she have two nominations at the age of 22?” he says. “It’s just as our editor said: ‘She was kissed by the angels.’ That's a very charismatic, special quality that people feel, but I would say that it's half the story.”

“The other half of the story is her extraordinary level of determination and focus that she brings as an actress renders these performances to selflessly and gives herself to them completely, very precisely,” he adds. “She's very exacting about what she does from take to take. It's like watching a very focused athlete and I learned form watching her – and I pray to work with her again, frankly! So that's why she's been nominated twice at this young age: it's a very special combination of the natural and the effort that she puts into it.”




 

Following a nail-biting Super Bowl pick, Jimmy Fallon's perceptive puppies are at it again. This time, they've turned their attention to the Oscars.

The fluffy litter returned to "Late Night" on Wednesday to predict the winner for the highly-coveted best picture Oscar for the 85th Academy Awards.

The five puppies, dressed in their red carpet best, took to the stage to eat food from nine shiny bowls, each labeled with one of the best picture contenders.

"Whichever bowl the most puppies will go to will win best picture," Fallon said. "And we're pretty sure about this because just a few weeks ago, these guys picked the Ravens to win the Super Bowl. They're really good at this."

After some wrangling by Fallon, the puppies started chowing down and made it official for one movie: The Oscar for best picture goes to "Argo."

It's a good bet that Barbra Streisand probably won't ever be asked to sing at a Super Bowl halftime show – unlike, say, Beyoncé, a current superstar with similarly impressive vocal and audience reach, not to mention movie appeal. We also wouldn’t expect to see Streisand at any future Olympic ceremonies, unlike her contemporaries in age, if not musical style, like The Who and Paul McCartney, who rocked before a world viewership at last summer’s London Games.

Hester is founding director of the award-winning, multi-media NYCity News Service at the City University of New York Graduate School of Journalism. He is the former City Editor of the New York Daily News, where he started as a reporter in 1992. Follow him on Twitter.

Will it be "Argo"? "Silver Linings Playbook"? Or will "Lincoln" finally take the top prize?

When the Best Picture Oscar winner is revealed Sunday night at the 85th Annual Academy Awards in Hollywood, it will mark the end of the 2013 awards season. And for those 5,856 members of the Academy (as of 2012) eligible to vote in this race, ballots had to filed by 5 p.m. PT Tuesday, Feb. 19.

Campaigning among the best picture nominees has been fierce as the deadline approached, but changing voters' minds is not the only obstacle faced by studios and producers in the sprint toward the finish line. For some members, how to vote proved just as vexing as who to vote for.

This Oscar race marks the first year online voting has been implemented. Many members welcomed the plunge into the brave new digital world while others found the adopted cyber system too difficult to navigate in regards to the initial registration process.

Immediately following the nominations announcement in January, AMPAS President Hawk Koch defended the Academy’s decision saying that  despite the kinks and some complaints from members about difficulty in voting electronically that it actually brought out the biggest voter participation the organization has had.

“It’s the first time, yes. But the first time you do anything of course there’s problems," Koch told Deadline. "Of course there’s problems. But the truth is we’ve had more people voting for nominations than we’ve ever had. And we had more people in each branch, every single branch had more people voting. So that portends two things. One, the online voting worked and two, everyone was excited about the films this year. They wanted to make sure and vote."

Due to the high profile nature of the global event, the Academy devised a security system involving the use of passwords, codes and special phone numbers for member verification. A system that confused and angered many according to reports. In an effort to accommodate all eligible members, the Academy initially extended the registration period for nomination voting by two weeks and then went one step further and decided to automatically send a paper ballot to those who had not registered online during the advised time period.

Before final award voting began on Feb. 8, the Academy sent members a detailed guide to the new online voting process. To placate those still unhappy with the new system, paper ballots were offered as an option to any member who advised the Academy by Feb. 1 that they wished to vote via the old-fashioned route.

Academy officials shouldn't feel too badly about the initial reaction to the voting system. The Screen Actors Guild took seven years before they were comfortable that their online system was running smoothly enough to eliminate paper ballots.

With Tuesday afternoon marking the end of the voting period, all eyes now turn to Sunday night's ceremony which features Seth MacFarlane's debut as host, a celebration of 50 years of James Bond on the big screen and, of course, those sought-after statuettes handed out across 24 categories. 

So the only balloting practices that really take precedence now are those devised by viewers at home casting their votes from the couch - no online registration needed.

The 85th Annual Academy Awards will air live on Sunday Feb. 24 at 7 p.m. ET on ABC.

There hasn't been much (intentionally) funny about the Oscars in the last few years.

Sure, Billy Crystal earned some laughs as a late-in-the game replacement last year for Eddie Murphy (“Just call me ‘War Horse,’” he cracked). Even if Crystal didn't match his great late 1980s-early 1990s run, he certainly outdid recent hosts Hugh Jackman and disaster duo Anne Hathaway and James Franco in the humor department. And sure, last year's big winner, silent film homage "The Artist," was the closest thing to a comedy to win any major awards in years.

“Flight’s” storyline features one of the most harrowing plane crash sequences ever committed to cinema with a tortured antihero at the controls. But the film itself made a smooth landing in theaters and is cleared for another touchdown as it bows on Blu Ray.

Focusing on an alcoholic airline pilot and the downward spiral he enters after a heroic effort to save his passengers threatens to disastrously expose his considerable personal demons, the film signaled the triumphant return to live-action dramatics for director Robert Zemeckis (“Back to the Future,” “Forrest Gump”) after a lengthy stint in CGI filmmaking. It also features a potent performance from Denzel Washington alongside a powerhouse cast that includes Don Cheadle, Melissa Leo, John Goodman and Bruce Greenwood. Indeed, Washington earned an Academy Award Best Actor nomination, and the script by John Gatins scored a nod in the Best Original Screenplay category.

“Every once in a while, a director gets a chance to make a film where absolutely every person of that small army of people who collaborate on the film is completely inspired,” Zemeckis recalled recently at the Palm Springs International Film Festival, where he was honored as Director of the Year. “Everyone who's working on that project is on the same page, and everyone is making the same movie. And my job as a director is to keep that passion, that fire alive and burning, and that's what basically, I do. But that inspiration came from the written word. That inspiration came from the screenplay, and of course, that was the case with ‘Flight.’”

“When I read John Gatins’ screenplay for this movie, it's one of those rare situations where I couldn't stop reading – I couldn't put it down,” the director continued. “I was instantly passionate about making this film. When I read the script, I knew I had to make it. It was unique and bold, and it was harrowing, brutally honest and filled with complex, meaty characters and ripe with tons of moral ambiguity. I didn't only want to make this movie, I wanted to see this movie, and I knew that the only way that I was going to see a movie that was this fresh and new was to sign on and do it.”

“When I heard that Denzel Washington was interested in doing it as well, it was like the most perfect casting that I could ever imagine,” Zemeckis said. “Watching that cast bring that screenplay to life in the hands of actors as talented as the amazing Denzel Washington, Don Cheadle and John Goodman and Kelly Riley and the rest of the cast was just a thrill to go on set and see them work.”

Cheadle said that as much as he believed in the film, he was still taken aback by the critical and commercial reaction, “It was surprising, it was shocking,” admitted the actor, who plays an airline insurance company attorney trying to minimize the damage of Whitaker’s actions. “When I got my first check from the box office bumps, I was like, ‘Wow, the movie actually did something!’ I don’t think anyone anticipated the kind of performance that it’s had. It’s not the kind of fare that usually does well in American cinema, as we’ve come to know it – there’s one big dramatic piece, but it happens at the beginning of the movie.”

“It’s really counter-intuitive to the things you see coming out of the studios, as far as it being successful or setting some sort of box office precedent,” added Cheadle. “But when you have Robert Zemeckis behind the camera and you have Denzel anchoring it, and there’s a great cast that fleshed it out, people showed that they were ready to see something a little heavier. So I’m very surprised.”

 

After 50 years, 23 films and six different 007s, “Skyfall” turned out to be the biggest James Bond film of them all.

As the latest entry in the film franchise that launched in 1962 proved to be as unbeatable as author Ian Fleming’s superspy himself, “Skyfall” emerged as not only as the highest grossing and best reviewed Bond film of all time, it also earned five Oscar nominations – an unprecedented feat even for 007 – and a golden anniversary tribute at the upcoming Academy Awards ceremony.

As the crowd-pleasing blockbuster makes its Blu Ray debut, longtime Bond producers Michael G. Wilson and Barbara Broccoli reveal the secrets of “Skyfall’s” success.

What has it meant to you to have this film perform so well and become the hallmark of the golden anniversary?

Michael G. Wilson: We always wanted to have a 50th anniversary film, and we weren't quite sure with MGM in bankruptcy if we could make it, but they pulled themselves together in time. And then we were working on this film, and you always have hopes that it's going to be fantastic. But this has really measured up quite well.

What did it mean to have those little touches in the film to evoke all the older films?

Barbara Broccoli: Well, obviously, it was tempting to do that because of the 50th, and we make these movies for audiences – Bond audiences. And so we felt that it would bring pleasure: the nods, the DB5, the various things that they would remind audiences of what's come before and honor what's come before. And all the response we've had is that people seem to love the fact that there are nods to the past in this one.

This is such a singular franchise, and it's gone through the ups and downs behind the scenes. Why do you think the character of Bond, this style of Bond storytelling has stayed so potent after five decades?

Wilson: I think we should start with Fleming as the originator of the character and writing a character that's complex enough and putting him into situations that explore his character well enough, a really well-defined character, and then we have six actors who come in, taken over the role, each of them bringing something to the part – keeping it fresh, always keeping it contemporary. And I think those elements have kept it going.

What are the elements that have made Daniel Craig a Bond that contemporary audiences today respond to so strongly?

Wilson: Besides being handsome and sexy and the best actor of his generation, what are the other elements [Laughs]? First of all, he's a great guy, just always ready to work with you. You can discuss things with him, and he gets it. He's very creative in what he adds to the character, and he understands the character really well. But he's also the most dedicated actor I've ever met, in terms of preparing for the part. When he's working on the film, he's like an Olympic athlete. He works out. The regimen that he goes through every day is amazing. When he goes out to rehearse an action sequence, he totally rehearses it physically, very demanding, but that's the way he does it. He has to work that way, and that commitment pays off because it makes him act and feel like the character.

This one pays such great service to the enduring character of Bond, but also gives the modern audience the Bond they're going to respond to. How do you take the temperature and figure out that balance?

Broccoli: You're always recalibrating. The thing is, we have an amazing team of people who've worked on the movies, and then we bring in new people like Sam Mendes who brings in Roger Deakins, so you have the most talented people on earth coming together to try and make the best Bond movie ever. It's a day-to-day discussion about ‘Is this good? Is this right? How can we make this better?’ And there's so much enthusiasm – that's the thing. As grueling as it is to make these pictures, it's a real privilege. And people come to it with a tremendous amount of excitement because Bond fortunately means a great deal to people, both people working on it and also the audiences. And we always start off, everyone, saying, ‘We want to make the best Bond film ever.’ And that's the thing that motivates us and excites us.

In prior Bond movies, most of the casting has centered on actors who were not-quite-star names in the moment, though many have gone on to become stars. Today well-known performers – Javier Bardem, Ralph Finnes, Albert Finney – are having some fun in the world of Bond. Is that the way you're going to go going forward? Is Bond at the point where so many people are excited to play in Bond's world that you can get that level of talent every time out?

Broccoli: I think that's certainly been the case the last couple of movies. I think the casting of Daniel. Daniel is an actor's actor, and I think actors of a certain standing and stature want to work with him. So I think that's part of the reason why we've got such an incredible cast, and also Sam Mendes has attracted a lot of people. And of course Judi Dench, she started back in 'Golden Eye,' and she did not have a huge film career at that point when we cast her. But she's become such an important film star. So I think it's a combination of wanting to just cast the best people for the role, and people being really excited and interesting in being in a Bond movie with Daniel Craig and working with a director like Sam Mendes.

You've run through all the Ian Fleming titles from the literally properties, and yet you were still able to come up with this very Bondian phrase with “Skyfall.”

Wilson: Well, it gets harder and harder! That's something we wrestle with all the time, and so we're open to new suggestions. I think we had a four-page single-spaced list of titles. We still couldn't find a good one there.