The 2nd Annual Comedy Award Nominations are Crazy about “Crazy Stupid Love” and “Bridesmaids”

This morning, the2nd Annual Comedy Award Nominations were announced and they were feeling the “love”…. the Crazy Stupid Love, that is as the film picked up 5 nominations tying the Oscar nominated smash Bridesmaids. Oscar nominee Melissa McCarthy will be competing against her Oscar nominated costar Kristen Wiig in the film actress category while Oscar winner The Artist also picked up 3 nominations… On the TV front, 30 Rock and Modern Family each picked up 5 nominations… My favorite nod of the day has to be for my current favorite comedy, Happy Endings, which landed a nod for Comedy Series. Take a look at all the nominees below and for more on the show which will air May 6th on Comedy Central, head here.

2nd Annual Comedy Award Nominations~

FILM
Comedy Film
The Artist
Bridesmaids
Crazy, Stupid, Love
Horrible Bosses
Midnight in Paris

Performance by an Actor
Jason Bateman – Horrible Bosses
Steve Carrell – Crazy, Stupid, Love
Jean Dujardin – The Artist
Zach Galifianakis – The Hangover Part II
Owen Wilson – Midnight in Paris

Performance by an Actress
Jennifer Aniston – Horrible Bosses
Cameron Diaz – Bad Teacher
Melissa McCarthy – Bridesmaids
Emma Stone – Crazy, Stupid, Love
Kristen Wiig – Bridesmaids

Comedy Director
Woody Allen – Midnight in Paris
James Bobin – The Muppets
Paul Feig – Bridesmaids
Glen Ficarra and John Requa – Crazy, Stupid, Love
Michel Hazanavicius – The Artist

Animated Comedy Film
Cars 2
Kung Fu Panda 2
Puss In Boots
Rango
Rio

TELEVISION
Comedy Series
30 Rock
Curb Your Enthusiasm
Happy Endings
Modern Family
Parks and Recreation

Performance by an Actor
Alec Baldwin – 30 Rock
Ty Burrell – Modern Family
Louis C.K. – Louie
Steve Carell – The Office
Larry David – Curb Your Enthusiasm

Performance by an Actress
Zooey Deschanel – New Girl
Tina Fey – 30 Rock
Amy Poehler – Parks and Recreation
Kristen Wiig – Saturday Night Live
Sofia Vergara – Modern Family

Late Night Comedy Series
The Colbert Report
The Daily Show with Jon Stewart
Late Night with Jimmy Fallon
Late Show with David Letterman
Real Time with Bill Maher

Comedy Writing
30 Rock
Curb Your Enthusiasm
Louie
Modern Family
Parks and Recreation
Saturday Night Live

Breakout Performer of the Year
Zooey Deschanel
Josh Gad
Donald Glover
Melissa McCarthy
Jason Sudeikis

Animated Comedy Series
Archer
Family Guy
The Life & Times of Tim
The Simpsons
South Park

“The Lorax” opens Big at the Box Office

No matter how bad it is, The Lorax defied expectations to nab the biggest box office opening of 2012 by a mile. Taking in a big $70 million (hello, that’s its whole productions budge!), the animated family film based on the Dr. Seuss tale is well on its way to becoming the biggest film of the year. (Well, at least until The Hunger Games shows up)…. Debuting the wake of The Lorax was the found footage comedy Project X which took in over $20 million already making a profit from its low production budget… .The only other interesting news in the top 20 were nice boosts for Oscar winners The Artist, The Iron Lady (hello Best Actress Meryl Streep!!!!!) and Foreign Film winner A Separation. For more on all the numbers, head to Box Office Mojo here and check out the new top ten below.

TW LW Title (click to view) Studio Weekend Gross % Change Theater Count / Change Average Total Gross Budget* Week #
1 N Dr. Seuss’ The Lorax Uni. $70,700,000 – 3,729 – $18,960 $70,700,000 $70 1
2 N Project X WB $20,775,000 – 3,055 – $6,800 $20,775,000 – 1
3 1 Act of Valor Rela. $13,700,000 -44.0% 3,053 +14 $4,487 $45,239,000 $12 2
4 4 Safe House Uni. $7,200,000 -34.1% 2,553 -499 $2,820 $108,200,000 $85 4
5 2 Tyler Perry’s Good Deeds LGF $7,000,000 -55.1% 2,132 – $3,283 $25,745,000 – 2
6 3 Journey 2: The Mysterious Island WB $6,925,000 -48.3% 3,060 -290 $2,263 $85,611,000 $79 4
7 5 The Vow SGem $6,100,000 -38.5% 2,826 -212 $2,159 $111,712,000 $30 4
8 7 This Means War Fox $5,625,000 -33.2% 2,342 -847 $2,402 $41,464,000 $65 3
9 6 Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance Sony $4,700,000 -47.8% 2,487 -687 $1,890 $44,881,000 $57 3
10 13 The Artist Wein. $3,900,000 +34.2% 1,756 +790 $2,221 $37,088,000 $15 15

It’s all about Hollywood as The Artist, Hugo and Meryl dominate the Oscars

It was a clear message heard round the Kodak (what will they change the name to?) theatre in Hollywood tonight as Hollywood honored the movies at the Oscars:  if it was about movie-making or starred our very own movie queen, it won. The Artist and Hugo, both films that are essentially love letters to movie-making, each won 5 awards while Meryl Streep, the most lauded and iconic actress of our time finally won her 3rd Oscar for her amazing work in The Iron Lady. Yes, she only has three! Despite 17 nominations, she hadn’t won since Sophie’s Choice 29 years ago, and she was arguably the most deserving winner of the night. (No disrespect to the tremendously lovely Viola Davis by the way. I swear you will get your Oscar one day!)… Speaking of deserving winners, Christopher Plummer and Ocatvia Spencer finished their dominated awards season runs picking up the Supporting Actor honors for Beginners and The Help. WIth his win, Plummer became the oldest acting winner in history at the tender age of 82!… Best Actor went to Jean Dujardin (over heavily favored George Clooney) whose film The Artist also picked up Best Picture, Director, Costume Design and Score. Hugo’s 5 wins were in the technical categories while one big surprise was the Best Editing win for The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo. For more on all the winners and the delightful if a bit subdued broadcast hosted by Billy Crystal, head here. (Big props to the ladies of Bridesmaids and Tina Fey for bringing us the funniest moments by the way). And check out all the winners below… And let me just say I am so incredibly happy for Streep! She gave the best, classiest speech of the night and I’m just thrilled she finally won. Congrats Meryl!!!!

2012 Academy Award Winners:

Best Picture: The Artist
Best Director: Michael Hazanavicius (The Artist)
Best Actress: Meryl Streep (The Iron Lady)
Best Actor: Jean Dujardin (The Artist)
Best Supporting Actress: Octavia Spencer (The Help)
Best Supporting Actor: Christopher Plummer (Beginners)
Best Adapted Screenplay: The Descendants
Best Original Screenplay: Midnight in Paris
Best Cinematography: Hugo
Best Editing: The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo
Best Art Direction: Hugo
Best Costume Design: The Artist
Best Makeup: The Iron Lady
Best Original Score: The Artist     
Best Original Song: “Man or a Muppet” (The Muppets)
Best Sound Editing: Hugo
Best Sound Mixing: Hugo
Best Visual Effects: Hugo

Best Documentary: Undefeated
Best Foreign Language Film: A Separation
Best Animated Film: Rango
Best Animated Short Film: The Fantastic Flying Books of Mr. Morris Lessmore
Best Live Action Short Film: The Shore
Best Documentary Short Subject: Saving Face

Most Wins~
The Artist: 5
Hugo: 5
The Iron Lady: 2

The Artist and Michelle Williams have the Independent Spirit

Oscar front-runner The Artist continued to dominate this awards season as it picked up four awards at today’s Independent Spirit Awards honoring the best in independent cinema. The films all had to be made and financed in the U.S. with a budget under $20 million to be eligible (hence, Hugo, War Horse and The Help, etc were not in contention… nor was British funded The Iron Lady). Along with Best Feature, The Artist took home Best Director, Cinematography and Best Actor for Jean Dujardin (who I think will nab tomorrow’s Oscar). In the other acting fields, Michelle Williams followed up her Golden Globe win for My Week with Marilyn in the Lead Actress category while Christopher Plummer won Supporting Actor for Beginners as he has done pretty much everywhere this season. Oscar snubbed Shailene Woodley won Supporting Actress for The Descendants which also took home the screenplay prize. For more on all the winners, head to the Indie Spirit site here and check out all the winners below.

2012 Independent Spirit Award Winners:

Best Feature Film: The Artist
Best Director: Michael Hazanavicius (The Artist)
Best Actor: Jean Dujardin (The Artist)
Best Actress: Michelle Williams (My Week with Marilyn)
Best Supporting Actor: Christopher Plummer (Beginners)
Best Supporting Actress: Shailene Woodley (The Descendants)
Best Screenplay: The Descendants
Best Cinematography: The Artist
Best International Film: A Separation
Best Documentary: The Interrupters
Best First Feature: Margin Call
Best First Screenplay: 50/50
John Cassavetes Award for Best Feature (under $500,000 budget): Pariah
Robert Altman Award (given to one film’s director, casting director and ensemble cast): Margin Call

My Big Bold 2012 Oscar Winner Predictions

Ok, enough with the Grammys, Globes and SAG Awards, the grand daddy of them all is here: the Academy Awards. This Sunday is the big day with the supreme Oscar host Billy Crystal returning to preside over the big day. With Crystal in command, we know the show will be hilarious, but will there be any surprises? Well, the top two acting races are just that, races between two deserving candidates. So, we could have upsets and some serious excitement. With that said, can anyone stop The Artist from sweeping? Well, take a look at my big bold Oscar winner predictions below and see.

My Big Bold 2012 Oscar Winner Predictions:

Best Picture:
The Artist, The Descendants, Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close, The Help, Hugo, Midnight in Paris, Moneyball, The Tree of Life, War Horse
Will & Should win: The Artist
spoiler: Hugo
~ my sentimental fave: The Help

Best Director:
Woody Allen (Midnight in Paris), Michael Hazanvicius (The Artist), Terrence Malick (The Tree of Life), Alexander Payne (The Descendants), Martin Scorsese (Hugo)
Will & Should win: Michael Hazanavicius
~spoiler: Martin Scorsese

Best Actor:
Demian Bichir (A Better Life), George Clooney (The Descendants), Jean Dujardin (The Artist), Gary Oldman (Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy), Brad Pitt (Moneyball)
Will & Should win: Jean Dujardin
~spoiler: George Clooney
* This is a super tight race and it will be close between Clooney and Dujardin. How neat would it be if the wonderful and truly deserving Bichir pulled a surprise upset here? It’s not gonna happen, but it would be lovely to see.

Best Actress:
Glenn Close (Albert Nobbs), Viola Davis (The Help), Rooney Mara (The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo), Meryl Streep (The Iron Lady), Michelle Williams (My Week with Marilyn)
Will & Should win: Meryl Streep
~spoiler: Viola Davis
* ok, I’m going out on a big limb here. Conventional wisdom and smart money is on Davis (who was wonderful and would be a deserving winner). However, if you’ve seen The Iron Lady, you can’t deny Streep should win. She also hasn’t won in 30 years. Hello people!

Best Supporting Actor:
Kenneth Branagh (My Week with Marilyn), Jonah Hill (Moneyball), Nick Nolte (Warrior), Christopher Plummer (Beginners), Max Von Sydow (Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close)
Will & Should win: Christopher Plummer
~spoiler: Max Von Sydow

Best Supporting Actress:
Berenice Bejo (The Artist), Jessica Chastain (The Help), Melissa McCarthy (Bridesmaids), Janet McTeer (Albert Nobbs), Octavia Spencer (The Help)
Will & Should win: Octavia Spencer
~spoiler: Melissa McCarthy

Best Original Screenplay:
The Artist, Bridesmaids, Margin Call, Midnight in Paris, A Separation
Will win: Midnight in Paris
Should win: Bridesmaids
~spoiler: The Artist

Best Adapted Screenplay:
The Descendants, Hugo, The Ides of March, Moneyball, Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy
Will Win: Moneyball
~spoiler: The Descendants
* This one will be close. I feel like they may throw a bone to The Descendants here, but I’m keeping my money on the better screenplay for Moneyball. Plus it has more overall nominations indicating wider support within the academy.

Best Cinematography:
The Artist, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, Hugo, The Tree of Life, War Horse
Will win: The Tree of Life
Should win: War Horse (yes, I loved the movie, what of it?)
~spoiler: The Artist (they love some black and white)

Best Editing:
The Artist, The Descendants, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, Hugo, Moneyball
Will win: The Artist
Should win: The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo
~Spoiler: Hugo

Best Animated Film:
A Cat in Paris, Chico and Rita, Kung Fu Panda 2, Puss in Boots, Rango
Will & Should win: Rango

Best Foreign Film:
Bullhead, Footnote, In Darkness, Monsieur Lahzar, A Separation
Will & Should win: A Separation
~spoiler: In Darkness

Best Original Score:
The Adventures of Tin Tin, The Artist, Hugo, Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy, War Horse
Will & Should win: The Artist

Best Original Song:
“Man or a Muppet” (The Muppets), “Real in Rio” (Rio)
Will & Should win: “Man or a Muppet” (this would be the first ever win for a Muppet movie!)
* PS- this category is a disaster. Due to their strict rules, a ton of great and deserving songs by Mary J. Blige (The Help), Elton John (Gnomeo & Juliet), Madonna (W.E.), Pink (Happy Feet 2) and more didn’t make the cut. Blargh!

Best Art Direction:
The Artist, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Pt. 2, Hugo, Midnight in Paris, War Horse
Will win: Hugo
Should win: Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Pt. 2
~spoiler: The Artist

Best Costume Design:
Anonymous, The Artist, Hugo, Jane Eyre, W.E.
Will win: The Artist
Should win: W.E.
~spoiler: W.E.

Best Makeup:
Albert Nobbs, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Pt. 2, The Iron Lady
Will & Should win: The Iron Lady
~spoiler: Harry Potter

Best Sound Editing:
Drive, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, Hugo, Transformers: Dark of the Moon, War Horse
Will win: Hugo
Should win: The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo

Best Sound Mixing:
The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, Hugo, Moneyball, Transformers: Dark of the Moon, War Horse
Will win: Hugo
Should win: War Horse
~spoiler: Transformers

Visual Effects:
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Pt. 2, Hugo, Rise of the Planet of the Apes, Real Steel, Transformers: Dark of the Moon
Will win: Rise of the Planet of the Apes
Should win: Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Pt. 2 (hello the Harry Potter franchise has never won an Oscar!)
~spoiler: Harry Potter

Best Documentary:
Hell and Back Again, If a Tree Falls, Paradise Lost 3, Pina, Undefeated
Will win: Undefeated
Should win: Pina
~spoiler: Paradise Lost 3
* this one is a super tight race… My first instinct is for Pina to win (and it’s the most interesting, but also the most experimental). Then, I was thinking Undefeated plays into the emotions of the academy and has a bigger profile, so it may win. It’s a real tossup with the well-known Paradise Lost series in the mix as well.

* for the shorts, shoot me an email.

Meryl Streep and The Artist Win Big at the BAFTAS!

The second to last big precursor to the Oscars was held today in the U.K. as the BAFTAS (the British Oscars) announced their winners. Leading the pack was the Academy Award front-runner The Artist with 7 wins including Best Picture, Director, Original Screenplay and Actor for Jean Dujardin. (Uh oh, George Clooney is looking less and less like a lock.)… Continuing their awards sweeps were Supporting winners Octavia Spencer and Christopher Plummer. The other big news was Meryl Streep winning Best Actress for The Iron Lady. She and Viola Davis are in a massive tug of war for the Oscar and now Streep could be in the lead. We will see in a few weeks. In the meantime, check out all of the British Academy of Film and Television Award winners below.

2012 BAFTA Award Winners~

Best Film The Artist
Best Director Michel Hazanavicius, The Artist
Best Actor Jean Dujardin, The Artist
Best Actress Meryl Streep, The Iron Lady
Best Supporting Actor Christopher Plummer, Beginners
Best Supporting Actress Octavia Spencer, The Help
Best Original Screenplay Michel Hazanavicius, The Artist
Best Adapted Screenplay Bridget O’Connor & Peter Straughan, Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy
Best British Film Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy
Best Film Not in the English Language The Skin I Live In
Best Animated Film Rango
Best Documentary Senna
Best Editing Senna
Best Costume Design The Artist
Best Cinematography The Artist
Best Original Music The Artist
Best Make-Up & Hair The Iron Lady
Best Visual Effects Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2
Best Production Design Hugo
Best Sound Hugo
Best British Debut Tyrannosaur
Orange Rising Star Award Adam Deacon
Best Animated Short A Morning Stroll
Best Live-Action Short Pitch Black Heist

Let’s Rank the Oscar Nominees

The Oscar race is really heating up. While The Artist seems to be the best bet for the big award, we have some serious horse races in the Acting categories. Will it be George or Brad or Jean? Will Meryl be able to stop Viola? Can anyone stop Christopher Plummer? Well, with all of that in mind (and Sunday’s BAFTA awards looming), I’ve decided to rank who I think SHOULD win the Academy Awards. Yes, these are my rankings of this year’s contenders. (Remember, it’s not who I think will win, it’s who should). Take a look and give me your two cents. Then, check back in a couple of weeks for my official predictions of the winners.

My Rankings of this year’s Oscar Nominees~

Picture:
1. The Help
2. The Artist
3. War Horse
4. Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close
5. Midnight in Paris
6. Moneyball
7. Hugo
8. The Descendants
9. The Tree of Life

Best Director:
1. Michael Hazanavicius, The Artist
2. Martin Scorcesse, Hugo
3. Woody Allen, Midnight in Paris
4. Terrence Malick, The Tree of Life
5. Alexander Payne, The Descendants

Best Actor:
1. Jean Dujardin, The Artist
2. Demian Bichir, A Better Life
3. Brad Pitt, Moneyball
4. George Clooney, The Descendants
5. Gary Oldman, Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy

Best Actress:
1. Meryl Streep, The Iron Lady
2. Viola Davis, The Help
3. Michelle Wiliams, My Week with Marilyn
4. Glenn Close, Albert Nobbs
5. Rooney Mara, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo

Best Sup. Actor:
1. Christopher Plummer, Beginners
2. Nick Nolte, Warrior
3. Kenneth Branagh, My Week with Marilyn
4. Max Von Sydow, Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close
5. Jonah Hill, Moneyball

Best Sup Actress:
1. Octavia Spencer, The Help
2. Janet McTeer, Albert Nobbs
3. Jessica Chastain, The Help
4. Melissa McCarthy, Bridesmaids
5. Berenice Bejo, The Artist

Original Screenplay:
1. The Artist
2. Bridesmaids
3. Midnight in Paris
4. Margin Call
5. A Separation

Adapted Screenplay:
1. Moneyball
2. The Ides of March
3. Hugo
4. The Descendants
5. Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy

The Grey surprises at the Box Office

In another decent weekend at the box office, two films did better than expected while the Oscar nominations only gave a little boost to the big competitors. However, grosses were up overall versus last year as the new action drama The Grey, starring Liam Neeson, opened with a surprising $ 20 million. It was the first of three new entries in the top ten. Opening in third with $ 11.7 million was Katherine Heigl’s poorly reviewed action comedy One for the Money which many assumed was dead in the water before it even hit theaters. That was more the case for the third opener, the crime thriller Man on a Ledge with Sam Worthington, as it only totaled $8.3 million…. Looking at the films with multiple Oscar noms, The Descendants and The Artist improved the most as they added extra theaters. For more on their grosses and all the numbers, head to Box Office Mojo here.

TW LW Title (click to view) Studio Weekend Gross % Change Theater Count / Change Average Total Gross Budget* Week #
1 N The Grey ORF $20,000,000 – 3,185 – $6,279 $20,000,000 – 1
2 1 Underworld Awakening SGem $12,500,000 -50.6% 3,078 – $4,061 $45,126,000 $70 2
3 N One For the Money LGF $11,750,000 – 2,737 – $4,293 $11,750,000 – 1
4 2 Red Tails Fox $10,400,000 -44.6% 2,573 +61 $4,042 $33,780,000 $58 2
5 N Man on a Ledge Sum. $8,300,000 – 2,998 – $2,769 $8,300,000 – 1
6 4 Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close WB $7,145,000 -28.9% 2,630 – $2,717 $21,106,000 – 6
7 16 The Descendants FoxS $6,550,000 +176.1% 2,001 +1,441 $3,273 $58,848,000 – 11
8 3 Contraband Uni. $6,500,000 -46.0% 2,650 -220 $2,453 $56,400,000 $25 3
9 5 Beauty and the Beast (3D) BV $5,345,000 -39.1% 2,145 -480 $2,492 $41,147,000 – 3
10 6 Haywire Rela. $4,000,000 -52.5% 2,441 +2 $1,639 $15,279,000 $23 2

The Artist keeps the streak alive winning at the DGA Awards

The Artist may just be unbeatable at the Oscars in a little over a month. The film won the Golden Globe, the Critics Choice Award and has topped numerous critic’s best of lists, and tonight Michael Hazanvicius won Best Director at the Directors Guild of America Awards. This one is a great barometer of the Oscars as the winner usually repeats there, along with the film he or she represents. So, can Hazanavicius take the Golden Boy? He’ll still have to fend off Martin Scorsese, but I’d say it’s his to lose for the time being. Other awards went to Curb Your Enthusiasm, The Killing and The Kennedys. Take a look at all the winners below, and check back here tomorrow to see how The Artist fares at the SAG Awards… It may need some help there because of a little picture called… The Help.

2012 DGA Award Winners:
Feature Film: Michel Hazanavicius, “The Artist”
Documentary: James Marsh, “Project Nim”
Movies for Television and Mini-Series: Jon Kassar, “The Kennedys”
Dramatic Series: Patty Jenkins, “The Killing”: pilot
Comedy Series: Robert B. Weide, “Curb Your Enthusiasm”: “Palestinian Chicken”
Musical Variety: Glenn Weiss, “The 65th Annual Tony Awards”
Reality Programs: Neil P. DeGroot, “Biggest Loser”: “Episode #1115″
Daytime Serials: William Ludel, “General Hospital”: “Intervention”
Children’s Programs: Amy Schatz, “A Child’s Garden of Poetry”
Commercials: Noam Murro, “Handlebar Moustache,” “Hot House,” “Pinata,” “Is It Real?”

Frank Capra Achievement Award: Katy Garretson
Franklin J. Schaffner Achievement Award: Dennis Mazzocco
Honorary Life Membership: Ed Sherin

Hugo and The Artist Lead the Oscar Nominations!

Holy Hugo and holy snubs at today’s Oscar nominations. Martin Scorsese’s love letter to cinema, Hugo, led the way with 11 nominations followed by another love letter to cinema, The Artist with 10 nods. Check out the full list below and watch for more analysis, especially on those snubs (no Leo, 50/50, Michael Fassbender, Albert Brooks, Tilda Swinton, Spielberg, Mary J. Blige, etc) later today.

2012 Oscar Nominees

Best Picture

“The Artist” Thomas Langmann, Producer
“The Descendants” Jim Burke, Alexander Payne and Jim Taylor, Producers
“Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close” Scott Rudin, Producer
“The Help” Brunson Green, Chris Columbus and Michael Barnathan, Producers
“Hugo” Graham King and Martin Scorsese, Producers
“Midnight in Paris” Letty Aronson and Stephen Tenenbaum, Producers
“Moneyball” Michael De Luca, Rachael Horovitz and Brad Pitt, Producers
“The Tree of Life” Nominees to be determined
“War Horse” Steven Spielberg and Kathleen Kennedy, Producers

Actor in a Leading Role

Demián Bichir in “A Better Life”
George Clooney in “The Descendants”
Jean Dujardin in “The Artist”
Gary Oldman in “Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy”
Brad Pitt in “Moneyball”

Actor in a Supporting Role

Kenneth Branagh in “My Week with Marilyn”
Jonah Hill in “Moneyball”
Nick Nolte in “Warrior”
Christopher Plummer in “Beginners”
Max von Sydow in “Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close”

Actress in a Leading Role

Glenn Close in “Albert Nobbs”
Viola Davis in “The Help”
Rooney Mara in “The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo”
Meryl Streep in “The Iron Lady”
Michelle Williams in “My Week with Marilyn”

Actress in a Supporting Role

Bérénice Bejo in “The Artist”
Jessica Chastain in “The Help”
Melissa McCarthy in “Bridesmaids”
Janet McTeer in “Albert Nobbs”
Octavia Spencer in “The Help”

Animated Feature Film

“A Cat in Paris” Alain Gagnol and Jean-Loup Felicioli
“Chico & Rita” Fernando Trueba and Javier Mariscal
“Kung Fu Panda 2″ Jennifer Yuh Nelson
“Puss in Boots” Chris Miller
“Rango” Gore Verbinski

Art Direction

“The Artist” Production Design: Laurence Bennett; Set Decoration: Robert Gould
“Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2″ Production Design: Stuart Craig; Set Decoration: Stephenie McMillan
“Hugo” Production Design: Dante Ferretti; Set Decoration: Francesca Lo Schiavo
“Midnight in Paris” Production Design: Anne Seibel; Set Decoration: Hélène Dubreuil
“War Horse” Production Design: Rick Carter; Set Decoration: Lee Sandales

Cinematography

“The Artist” Guillaume Schiffman
“The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo” Jeff Cronenweth
“Hugo” Robert Richardson
“The Tree of Life” Emmanuel Lubezki
“War Horse” Janusz Kaminski

Costume Design

“Anonymous” Lisy Christl
“The Artist” Mark Bridges
“Hugo” Sandy Powell
“Jane Eyre” Michael O’Connor
“W.E.” Arianne Phillips

Directing

“The Artist” Michel Hazanavicius
“The Descendants” Alexander Payne
“Hugo” Martin Scorsese
“Midnight in Paris” Woody Allen
“The Tree of Life” Terrence Malick

Documentary (Feature)

“Hell and Back Again” Danfung Dennis and Mike Lerner
“If a Tree Falls: A Story of the Earth Liberation Front” Marshall Curry and Sam Cullman
“Paradise Lost 3: Purgatory” Charles Ferguson and Audrey Marrs
“Pina” Wim Wenders and Gian-Piero Ringel
“Undefeated” TJ Martin, Dan Lindsay and Richard Middlemas

Documentary (Short Subject)

“The Barber of Birmingham: Foot Soldier of the Civil Rights Movement” Robin Fryday and Gail Dolgin
“God Is the Bigger Elvis” Rebecca Cammisa and Julie Anderson
“Incident in New Baghdad”James Spione
“Saving Face” Daniel Junge and Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy
“The Tsunami and the Cherry Blossom” Lucy Walker and Kira Carstensen

Film Editing

“The Artist” Anne-Sophie Bion and Michel Hazanavicius
“The Descendants” Kevin Tent
“The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo” Kirk Baxter and Angus Wall
“Hugo” Thelma Schoonmaker
“Moneyball” Christopher Tellefsen

Foreign Language Film

“Bullhead” Belgium
“Footnote” Israel
“In Darkness” Poland
“Monsieur Lazhar” Canada
“A Separation” Iran

Makeup

“Albert Nobbs” Martial Corneville, Lynn Johnston and Matthew W. Mungle
“Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2″ Edouard F. Henriques, Gregory Funk and Yolanda Toussieng
“The Iron Lady” Mark Coulier and J. Roy Helland

Music (Original Score)

“The Adventures of Tintin” John Williams
“The Artist” Ludovic Bource
“Hugo” Howard Shore
“Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy” Alberto Iglesias
“War Horse” John Williams

Music (Original Song)

“Man or Muppet” from “The Muppets” Music and Lyric by Bret McKenzie
“Real in Rio” from “Rio” Music by Sergio Mendes and Carlinhos Brown Lyric by Siedah Garrett

Short Film (Animated)

“Dimanche/Sunday” Patrick Doyon
“The Fantastic Flying Books of Mr. Morris Lessmore” William Joyce and Brandon Oldenburg
“La Luna” Enrico Casarosa
“A Morning Stroll” Grant Orchard and Sue Goffe
“Wild Life” Amanda Forbis and Wendy Tilby

Short Film (Live Action)

“Pentecost” Peter McDonald and Eimear O’Kane
“Raju” Max Zähle and Stefan Gieren
“The Shore” Terry George and Oorlagh George
“Time Freak” Andrew Bowler and Gigi Causey
“Tuba Atlantic” Hallvar Witzø

Sound Editing

“Drive” Lon Bender and Victor Ray Ennis
“The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo” Ren Klyce
“Hugo” Philip Stockton and Eugene Gearty
“Transformers: Dark of the Moon” Ethan Van der Ryn and Erik Aadahl
“War Horse” Richard Hymns and Gary Rydstrom

Sound Mixing

“The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo” David Parker, Michael Semanick, Ren Klyce and Bo Persson
“Hugo” Tom Fleischman and John Midgley
“Moneyball” Deb Adair, Ron Bochar, Dave Giammarco and Ed Novick
“Transformers: Dark of the Moon” Greg P. Russell, Gary Summers, Jeffrey J. Haboush and Peter J. Devlin
“War Horse” Gary Rydstrom, Andy Nelson, Tom Johnson and Stuart Wilson

Visual Effects

“Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2″ Tim Burke, David Vickery, Greg Butler and John Richardson
“Hugo” Rob Legato, Joss Williams, Ben Grossman and Alex Henning
“Real Steel” Erik Nash, John Rosengrant, Dan Taylor and Swen Gillberg
“Rise of the Planet of the Apes” Joe Letteri, Dan Lemmon, R. Christopher White and Daniel Barrett
“Transformers: Dark of the Moon” Scott Farrar, Scott Benza, Matthew Butler and John Frazier

Writing (Adapted Screenplay)

“The Descendants” Screenplay by Alexander Payne and Nat Faxon & Jim Rash
“Hugo” Screenplay by John Logan
“The Ides of March” Screenplay by George Clooney & Grant Heslov and Beau Willimon
“Moneyball” Screenplay by Steven Zaillian and Aaron Sorkin. Story by Stan Chervin
“Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy” Screenplay by Bridget O’Connor & Peter Straughan

Writing (Original Screenplay)

“The Artist” Written by Michel Hazanavicius
“Bridesmaids” Written by Annie Mumolo & Kristen Wiig
“Margin Call” Written by J.C. Chandor
“Midnight in Paris” Written by Woody Allen
“A Separation” Written by Asghar Farhad