Safe Haven

While the changes made in adapting the movie from the book were to the benefit of the film, there are still elements of the story in which it is difficult to suspend ones disbelief.

As far as how Safe Haven fits into the Nicholas Sparks film log, it's no Notebook, it is not even as strong as Nights at Rodanthe, but it is better than the worst Sparks' movies, Message in a Bottle and A Walk to Remember. SH is on par with Lucky One. Hot and pretty actors with a mediocre story involving similar plot points make them companion pieces. Not as good as Dear John or the Last Song. Somewhere in the middle of the Sparks Spectrum.

Overall, not a new favorite flick, not even a great movie of this genre. But it was not terrible. It is always a sweet deal to see a movie before its release, and free of charge no less. I am not betraying my demographic of young women, I just don't scoop up this stuff like it's golden honey. It has to have the goods! And not every outing is going to be the Notebook. The Vow was not even a Sparks Production but it marketed the actors (Channing Tatum and Rachel McAdams) that had appeared in previously successful Sparks movies (Dear John and the Notebook) and delivered to the genre.

By the by, I submitted what was basically the first two paragraphs posted here to the website that requested my review of the movie. The following message displayed: "Your submission has triggered the spam filter and will not be accepted." Ponder that.

The Impossible

As a birthday treat for myself, I attended a showing of The Impossible at Cinetopia in one of their unique parlor room theaters. I enjoyed an oatmeal stout, a turkey club sandwich on ciabatta bread with fries and a diet coke, in the comfort of an armchair next to a fireplace. It was heavenly. The comforts of the experience were in stark contrast to the events of the movie I was there to see. The real story of a family during the 2004 tsunami is emotionally wrought and beautifully told. I cried through most of the movie. It was a rewarding viewing, not one of those views that drains you and you feel as though you have merely endured, not enjoyed. In watching an interview with Ewan McGregor with Dave Karger, I recent found out that in one of McGregor's most emotional scenes, he was acting with actual survivors of the tsunami.

Naomi Watts is nominated for Best Actress in the movie and Ewan McGregor would have been equally deserving. The effects for the recreation of the event of the movie are not over the top and evoke emotions not usually felt when watching computer generated scenes. It could be knowing it actually happened but I think much is owed to the technical merits of the film.

In one brief scene, I recognized an actress as the same woman who played Aunt Glady in one of my all time favorite movies, Home for the Holidays (1995). Confirming this detail also led to the realization that the actress, Geraldine Chaplin, is indeed the daughter of Charlie Chaplin. Robert Downey Jr portrayed Chaplin in 1992 and Geraldine appeared in the film before working with Downey again in Home for the Holidays.

2013 SAG Awards

The 19th Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards were presented tonight at the Shrine Exposition Center in LA. The show opened with actors speaking about their starts in acting and then by saying, "and I'm an actor." As it did last year, the cold open seems a little forced, but the salmon visible on their dinner plates looked delicious.

After seven seasons of 30 Rock, Alec Baldwin won Best Supporting Actor each year for his portrayal of Jack Donaghy. Tina Fey also won for 30 Rock and Julianne Moore presented her with the award (the Sarah Palin connection again that popped up at the Golden Globes). Fey thanked Amy Poehler and called back jokes from their stint hosting the Globes. I am sure I mentioned it last year but it continues to amuse me that the president of the SAG, Ken Howard, plays the president of Kabletown on 30 Rock. I noticed in the end credits that Scott Bakula is a producer of the awards show, maybe that is why he was in attendance last year.

The surefire wins come February 24th and Oscar night seem to be Daniel Day Lewis for Lincoln and Anne Hathaway for Les Miserables. Hathaway says the right things in her acceptance speeches but she needs to work on her delivery if she's going to win an Oscar. Argo continued to receive recognition that it is likely not to receive at the Oscars.

The fashions were fantastic tonight, much more exciting than at the Globes. The list of winners follows after the dresses.

FILM
Best Ensemble: Argo
Best Actor: Daniel Day-Lewis, Lincoln
Best Actress: Jennifer Lawrence, Silver Linings Playbook
Best Supporting Actor: Tommy Lee Jones, Lincoln
Best Supporting Actress: Anne Hathaway, Les Miserables
TELEVISION
Comedy Series Ensemble: Modern Family
Actor in a Comedy Series: Alec Baldwin, 30 Rock
Actress in a Comedy Series: Tina Fey, 30 Rock
Drama Series Ensemble: Downton Abbey
Actor in a Drama Series: Bryan Cranston, Breaking Bad
Actress in a Drama Series: Claire Danes, Homeland
Actress in a Movie or Miniseries: Julianne Moore, Game Change
Actor in a Movie or Miniseries: Kevin Costner, Hatfields and McCoys
LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT: Dick Van Dyke

2013 SAG Nominations

The Screen Actors Guild Awards are another favorite of mine in the build-up towards the Oscars. The speeches are routinely excellent and it is fun to see the actors honoring their peers. Like the Golden Globes, the awards are for television and movies.

You can catch the SAG Awards Sunday at 5pm Pacific time on tbs and tnt.

Check out tomorrow's nominees:
MOVIES:
Male Actor, Lead
Bradley Cooper, Silver Linings Playbook
Daniel Day-Lewis, Lincoln
John Hawkes, The Sessions
Hugh Jackman, Les Misérables
Denzel Washington, Flight
Male Actor, Supporting
Alan Arkin, Argo
Javier Bardem, Skyfall
Robert De Niro, Silver Linings Playbook
Philip Seymour Hoffman, The Master
Tommy Lee Jones, Lincoln
Female Actor, LeadJessica Chastain, Zero Dark Thirty
Marion Cotillard, Rust and Bone
Jennifer Lawrence, Silver Linings Playbook
Helen Mirren, Hitchcock
Naomi Watts, The Impossible
Female Actor, Supporting
Sally Field, Lincoln
Anne Hathaway, Les Misérables
Helen Hunt, The Sessions
Nicole Kidman, The Paperboy
Maggie Smith, The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel
Cast in a Motion Picture
Argo
The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel
Les Misérables
Lincoln
Silver Linings Playbook
TV:
Male Actor, TV Movie or Miniseries
Kevin Costner, Hatfields & McCoys
Woody Harrelson, Game Change
Ed Harris, Game Change
Clive Owen, Hemingway & Gellhorn
Bill Paxton, Hatfields & McCoys
Female Actor, TV Movie or Miniseries
Nicole Kidman, Hemingway & Gellhorn
Julianne Moore, Game Change
Charlotte Rampling, Restless
Sigourney Weaver, Political Animals
Alfre Woodard, Steel Magnolias
Male Actor, Drama Series
Steve Buscemi, Boardwalk Empire
Bryan Cranston, Breaking Bad
Jeff Daniels, The Newsroom
Jon Hamm, Mad Men
Damian Lewis, Homeland
Female Actor, Drama Series
Claire Danes, Homeland
Michelle Dockery, Downton Abbey
Jessica Lange, American Horror Story: Asylum
Julianna Margulies, The Good Wife
Maggie Smith, Downton Abbey
Male Actor, Comedy Series
Alec Baldwin, 30 Rock
Ty Burrell, Modern Family
Louis CK, Louis
Jim Parsons, The Big Bang Theory
Eric Stonestreet, Modern Family
Female Actor, Comedy Series
Edie Falco, Nurse Jackie
Tina Fey, 30 Rock
Amy Poehler, Parks and Recreation
Sofia Vergara, Modern Family
Betty White, Hot in Cleveland
Ensemble, Comedy
30 Rock
The Big Bang Theory
Glee
Modern Family
Nurse Jackie
The Office
Ensemble, Drama
Boardwalk Empire
Breaking Bad
Downton Abbey
Homeland
Mad Men
Life Achievement Award
Dick Van Dyke

Silver Linings Playbook

I have been somewhat slow in posting my reaction to this amazing flick because I did not know what to say. It is fantastic. I suspect it will be my favorite Oscar movie of the season. The films that pair great comedy with real life drama, and do it right, in a well written way, are always my favorites. The Descendants was a favorite last year for this reason. It won Best Adapted Screenplay. There were many other movies I loved in the 2012 Oscar season (The Help, Beginners) and there will be others I love this year (Argo). Each year there are films that feel like homework (Warhorse, Les Misérables) and there are surprise gems (Albert Nobbs).

Silver Linings Playbook will always be a memorable movie going experience. Emily and I first attempted a sold out showing at one theater but ended up making the next showtime at another theater (the same thing happened on the way to seeing Zero Dark Thirty; apparently the Oscar nominated movies are making bank this year, or I am off my game).

The acting is strong to say the least -- four of the leads in the movie have been nominated for Oscars, Bradley Cooper for Best Actor, Jennifer Lawrence for Best Actress, Robert DeNiro for Best Supporting Actor and Jacki Weaver for Best Supporting Actress, not to mention Chris Tucker's delightful role. J La has a good shot at winning (just check out her monologue from this week's SNL) and both she and Cooper are incredible as emotionally off-kilter people trying to move past recent events in their lives. If Daniel Day Lewis was not a complete shoe-in for Best Actor as Lincoln, Cooper might have had a chance at the statue as well.

The film is also up for Best Picture, Best Director, Best Adapted Screenplay and Film Editing. And there's football, gambling and dancing.  David O Russell wrote and directed the picture, he also directed the Fighter and I Heart Huckabees. I am a fan of Russell's movies and if you have seen his previous pictures, you can see how Silver Linings Playbook incorporates the comedy of Huckabees and the family drama of the Fighter. I loved this movie and am tempted to see it again before Oscar season is over.

2013 Golden Globes

Tina Fey and Amy Poehler started the 70th Annual Golden Globe Awards with a witty bang. Poehler said that Kathryn Bigelow, director of Zero Dark Thirty, would know about torture because she was married to James Cameron for three years. Then Tina said that when watching Anne Hathaway's nominated performance in Les Miserables, Fey had not seen someone so alone and abandoned since Hathaway was on stage with James Franco at the Oscars. Amy mentioned Julianne Moore's nomination for portraying Sarah Palin in HBO's Game Change. Tina chimed in with, "me too, I used to win prizes for that too" and found that she had lost her ability to impersonate Sarah Palin's voice.

The first award was presented to Christoph Waltz for Best Supporting Actor in Django Unchained. I was thrilled because I loved his performance as an 1850's bounty hunter. It will be interesting to see if this is an Oscar indicator as four of the five nominees are the same for both awards. Julianne Moore won the Globe for Game Change and the movie won Best Mini-Series Or Motion Picture Made for Television.

In an effort to revise the awards show drinking game for 2013, since Martin Scorsese is not nominated, I think the go-to drink will be for when anyone over-pronounces Les Misérables. Tina Fey was the first to and Catherine Zeta Jones was the second.

Damian Lewis won Best Actor in a Drama Series for Homeland and then Homeland won Best Drama. The real life CIA agent Ben Affleck played in Argo presented Argo as a Best Movie Drama nominee with John Goodman. It was delightful to continue to see George Clooney and Ben Affleck seated together throughout the show. Poehler's Boston accent jokes directed towards Affleck were great.

Adele won a Globe for Original Song for "Skyfall." Hope this one is an Oscar indicator as well. Taylor Swift lost and could not seem to put a graceful-loser look on her face when Adele accepted the award. Yeah, that's right Taylor, you are not as talented as Adele, get used to it.

Bill Clinton randomly presented Lincoln's nomination for Best Movie Drama and received a standing ovation. He even did a thumbs up. It was very cool. Immediately after, Amy Poehler appeared to resume her hosting duties in character as Leslie Knope from Parks and Rec and said, "that was Hilary Clinton's husband!"

Kristen Wiig and Will Farrell by far were the funniest presenters. The bit was that they were beyond excited to be there, had watched all the movies the five actresses nominated for Best Actress in a Comedy or Musical were in, yet clearly had not watched. They called Jennifer Lawrence, J La, which is fantastic, and she won. Megan Fox and Jonah Hill were also pretty funny as presenters.

One would anticipate Quentin Tarantino to be full on crazy when he accepted the Best Screenplay Globe. He was just standard Tarantino crazy. He thanked his actors and the people he reads his scripts to as he writes, but did not name them.

Another random presenter was Sacha Baron Cohen (third to over-pronounce Les Mis) in the Best Animated Feature Category. Brave's win and also Amour's win for Best Foreign Language Film may be additional Oscar predictors.

I loved Amy Poehler drinking champagne with George Clooney for her nomination shot. After the hosts lost to Lena Dunham for Best Actress in a Comedy Series, they pretended to be drunk and Tina told Taylor Swift, "you stay away from Michael J Fox's son!" 

Robert Downey Jr presented Jodie Foster with the Cecil B DeMille Award. Foster gave a big build-up so as if to come out, then she said she was single. Then she pretty much came out but never said it outright. She was strong and unique in her acceptance of the award and received a standing ovation from her peers.

Ben Affleck seemed genuinely shocked that he won Best Director for Argo. The audience was floored and he received a standing ovation. It would seem that all were pleased that he received the recognition the Academy withheld from him this week. Jennifer Gardner presented Best Actor in a Comedy and thanked two people he forgot, including Argo producer George Clooney. Then Clooney congratulated Affleck on his win when he presented Best Actress in a Drama to Jessica Chastain.

After Daniel Day Lewis won for Best Actor in a Drama for Lincoln, out of the blue Julia Roberts presented Best Picture Drama to Argo. The last line of the show was Poehler saying that she and Fey were going home with Jodie Foster.

A complete list of the winners follows my fashion coverage.
All in all there were a lot of misses on the red carpet at the Globes. Too many high neck lines, too many white or baby blue blah dresses. Kerry Washington who is gorgeous, looked terrible. On another actress the dress Jennifer Lopez wore may have been daring but for her it was run-of-the-mill. Jennifer Lawrence, Claire Danes and Jennifer Gardner looked great in reds and the hosts' red carpet looks and on stage ensembles were wins.

MOVIES
Best Motion Picture, Drama: "Argo"
Best Motion Picture, Comedy or Musical: "Les Misérables"
Best Actress, Drama: Jessica Chastain, "Zero Dark Thirty"
Best Actor, Daniel Day-Lewis, "Lincoln"
Best Actress, Comedy or Musical: Jennifer Lawrence, "Silver Linings Playbook"
Best Actor, Comedy or Musical: Hugh Jackman, "Les Misérables"
Best Director: Ben Affleck, "Argo"
Best Supporting Actress: Anne Hathaway, "Les Misérables"
Best Supporting Actor: Christoph Waltz, "Django Unchained"
Best Foreign Language Film: "Amour"
Best Animated Film: "Brave"
Best Screenplay: Quentin Tarantino, "Django Unchained"
Best Original Score: Mychael Danna, "Life of Pi"
Best Original Song: "Skyfall" (music and lyrics by Adele and Paul Epworth), "Skyfall"

TELEVISION
Best Series, Drama: "Homeland," Showtime
Best Series, Musical or Comedy: "Girls," HBO
Best Actress, Drama: Claire Danes, "Homeland"
Best Actor, Drama: Damian Lewis, "Homeland"
Best Actress, Comedy or Musical: Lena Dunham, "Girls"
Best Actor, Comedy or Musical: Don Cheadle, "House of Lies"
Best Miniseries or Movie: "Game Change"
Best Actress, Miniseries or Movie: Julianne Moore, "Game Change"
Best Actor, Miniseries or Movie: Kevin Costner, "Hatfields and McCoys"
Best Supporting Actress: Maggie Smith, "Downton Abbey"
Best Supporting Actor: Ed Harris, "Game Change"

Skyfall

The latest installment in the Bond franchise is excellent and measures up to the standard set by the previous two Daniel Craig outings as 007. Skyfall is just what a James Bond movie should be -- fun, and exciting. What makes it a good Bond flick is that it is well plotted and paced, includes that trademark sense of humor, without going into cheesy territory, and it has a modern edge and style.

Skyfall received five Oscar nominations for Cinematography, Sound Editing, Sound Mixing, Score and Adelle's original song "Skyfall." The last Oscar nomination a Bond movie received was for Best Original Song in "For Your Eyes Only" in 1982. Bond has won two Oscars, Goldfinger for Best Sound Effects and Thunderball for Special Visual Effects. Both categories have since been reframed by the Academy. The Oscars will also honor 50 years of Bond in film during this year's telecast.

For the Bond traditionalists out there, you will truly enjoy the nods to the classic 007 references in the 23rd movie in the series. Skyfall is a perfect blend of the Daniel Craig, Bond for the 21st Century, with all the fun touches of old school Bond. I did a little research and the filmmakers even included character details about Bond that date back to Ian Flemings' novels. I won't spoil them for you here.

2013 Oscar Nominations

There were nine films announced in the Best Picture category by Emma Stone and Seth MacFarlane this morning in Hollywood. Early front runner Lincoln received the most nominations with twelve. Life of Pi follows in close second with eleven nods. Both Les Miserables and Silver Linings Playbook scored eight nominations each. Silver Linings Playbook is also the first film in 31 years to receive acting nominations in all four of the acting categories (the last was 1981's Reds). Skyfall is the first Bond film to be nominated in 30 years and it received five total nominations. Amour, Django Unchained and Zero Dark Thirty were also given five nods each.

While many were suprised that Ben Affleck was not nominated for Best Director, Argo did receive seven nominations. The Best Actress category features the eldest and youngest nominees ever in its category with Amour's Emmanuelle Riva, 85 and Beasts of the Southern Wild's Quvenzhané Wallis, 9. The Oscar host himself is a nominee; Seth MacFarlane wrote the lyrics to Best Original Song nominee "Everybody Needs a Best Friend" from Ted. 

I have a lot of work to do. I have currently only seen two of the Best Picture nominees and am excited to get to it. I am most eager to check out Lincoln and Silver Linings Playbook. It also looks like a majority of the films are readily available in theaters right now. When it comes to categories like Best Documentary Feature and when I really get down to the movies that only have one nomination each, it can get tricky. I am continuing with my annual goal to see all the films nominated for Best Picture, movies featuring all the acting nominees, and as many nominated films that I can consume after that. Oh and ps, Emma Stone really needs to eat something.

Check out all the nominees on the official Oscar website -- every year they make improvements and provide a more interactive experience. The 'View by Film' option on the Oscar site shows the movie poster and lists total nominations for each film and in what category. The classic one page ballot is missing for the second year in a row. I found an excellent one page ballot in minimal time here. This year the Oscar app is available for iPod, iPad and Android, for free.

And here are the nominees...
Best Picture
Amour
Argo
Beasts of the Southern Wild
Django Unchained
Les Miserables
Life of Pi
Lincoln
Silver Linings Playbook
Zero Dark Thirty
Best Actor
Bradley Cooper, Silver Linings Playbook
Daniel Day-Lewis, Lincoln
Hugh Jackman, Les Miserables
Joaquin Phoenix, The Master
Denzel Washington, Flight
Best Actress
Jessica Chastain, Zero Dark Thirty
Jennifer Lawrence, Silver Linings Playbook
Emmanuelle Riva, Amour
Quvenzhane Wallis, Beasts of the Southern Wild
Naomi Watts, The Impossible
Best Supporting Actor
Alan Arkin, Argo
Robert De Niro, Silver Linings Playbook
Philip Seymour Hoffman, The Master
Tommy Lee Jones, Lincoln
Christoph Waltz, Django Unchained
Best Supporting Actress
Amy Adams, The Master
Sally Field, Lincoln
Anne Hathaway, Les Miserables
Helen Hunt, The Sessions
Jacki Weaver, Silver Linings Playbook
Best Director
Michael Haneke, Amour
Ang Lee, Life of Pi
David O. Russell, Silver Linings Playbook
Steven Spielberg, Lincoln
Benh Zeitlin, Beasts of the Southern Wild
Best Original Screenplay
Amour, Michael Haneke
Django Unchained, Quentin Tarantino
Flight, John Gatins
Moonrise Kingdom, Wes Anderson and Roman Coppola
Zero Dark Thirty, Mark Boal
Best Adapted Screenplay
Argo, Chris Terrio
Beasts of the Southern Wild, Lucy Alibar and Benh Zeitlin,
Life of Pi, David Magee
Lincoln, Tony Kushner
Silver Linings Playbook, David O. Russell
Best Animated Feature:
Brave
Frankenweenie
ParaNorman
The Pirates! Band of Misfits
Wreck-It Ralph
Best Cinematography
Anna Karenina, Seamus McGarvey
Django Unchained, Robert Richardson
Life of Pi, Claudio Miranda
Lincoln, Janusz Kaminski
Skyfall, Roger Deakins
Best Costume Design
Anna Karenina, Jacqueline Durran
Les Misérables, Paco Delgado
Lincoln, Joanna Johnston
Mirror Mirror, Eiko Ishioka
Snow White and the Huntsman, Colleen Atwood
Best Documentary Feature
5 Broken Cameras
The Gatekeepers
How to Survive a Plague
The Invisible War
Searching for Sugar Man
Best Documentary Short
Inocente
Kings Point
Mondays at Racine
Open Heart
Redemption
Best Film Editing
Argo, William Goldenberg
Life of Pi, Tim Squyres
Lincoln, Michael Kahn
Silver Linings Playbook, Jay Cassidy and Crispin Struthers
Zero Dark Thirty, Dylan Tichenor and William Goldenberg
Best Foreign Language Film
Amour, Austria
Kon-Tiki, Norway
No, Chile
A Royal Affair, Denmark
War Witch, Canada
Best Makeup and Hairstyling
Hitchcock, Howard Berger, Peter Montagna and Martin Samuel
The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey, Peter Swords King, Rick Findlater and Tami Lane
Les Misérables, Lisa Westcott and Julie Dartnell
Best Original Score
Anna Karenina, Dario Marianelli
Argo, Alexandre Desplat
Life of Pi, Mychael Danna
Lincoln, John Williams
Skyfall, Thomas Newman
Best Original Song
“Before My Time” from Chasing Ice, music and lyric by J. Ralph
“Everybody Needs A Best Friend” from Ted, music by Walter Murphy; lyric by Seth MacFarlane
“Pi’s Lullaby” from Life of Pi, music by Mychael Danna; lyric by Bombay Jayashri
“Skyfall” from Skyfall, music and lyric by Adele Adkins and Paul Epworth
“Suddenly” from Les Misérables, music by Claude-Michel Schönberg; lyric by Herbert Kretzmer and Alain Boublil
Best Production Design
Anna Karenina, Production Design: Sarah Greenwood; Set Decoration: Katie Spencer
The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey, production Design: Dan Hennah; Set Decoration: Ra Vincent and Simon Bright
Les Misérables, Production Design: Eve Stewart; Set Decoration: Anna Lynch-Robinson
Life of Pi, Production Design: David Gropman; Set Decoration: Anna Pinnock
Lincoln, Production Design: Rick Carter; Set Decoration: Jim Erickson
Best Animated Short
Adam and Dog
Fresh Guacamole
Head over Heels
Maggie Simpson in “The Longest Daycare”
Paperman
Best Live Action Short
Asad
Buzkashi Boys
Curfew
Death of a Shadow
Henry
Best Sound Editing
Argo, Erik Aadahl and Ethan Van der Ryn
Django Unchained, Wylie Stateman
Life of Pi, Eugene Gearty and Philip Stockton
Skyfall, Per Hallberg and Karen Baker Landers
Zero Dark Thirty, Paul N.J. Ottosson
Best Sound Mixing
Argo, John Reitz, Gregg Rudloff and Jose Antonio Garcia
Les Misérables, Andy Nelson, Mark Paterson and Simon Hayes
Life of Pi, Ron Bartlett, D.M. Hemphill and Drew Kunin
Lincoln, Andy Nelson, Gary Rydstrom and Ronald Judkins
Skyfall, Scott Millan, Greg P. Russell and Stuart Wilson
Best Visual Effects
The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey, Joe Letteri, Eric Saindon, David Clayton and R. Christopher White
Life of Pi, Bill Westenhofer, Guillaume Rocheron, Erik-Jan De Boer and Donald R. Elliott
The Avengers, Janek Sirrs, Jeff White, Guy Williams and Dan Sudick
Prometheus, Richard Stammers, Trevor Wood, Charley Henley and Martin Hill
Snow White and the Huntsman, Cedric Nicolas-Troyan, Philip Brennan, Neil Corbould and Michael Dawson

Pre-Oscar Nomination musings

For me, nothing emulates the giddy joy of hopping out of bed early Christmas morning to see what Santa brought, like the morning the Oscar Nominations are announced at 5:30am Pacific time. The Academy announcement tomorrow January 10th will bring out similar squeals of delight and joy from me. Sometimes the nominations are even a birthday gift, nominations have been announced on my bday several times in the past few years. This year the Academy wanted to push the calendar up, beat award season fatigue and as a result the nominations are out before the Golden Globes air Sunday, January 13th at 5pm Pacific time/8pm Eastern on NBC.

Emma Stone and Seth MacFarlane will be announcing the nominations. This is the first time since 1972 that a host of the Oscar show has announced the nominees. 

Prior to the announcement, I couldn't help but wonder what the repercussions of the online Academy voting system might be. This is the first time voting has taken place online. The old Hollywood presence in the Academy often anchors the Oscars in honoring more traditional films. Older folks notoriously use less technology and it will be interesting to see how this change to the nomination process will affect the nominations.

There can be anywhere from 5-10 films nominated for Best Picture. I am predicting that 8 films will be nominated for Best Picture. Dave Karger, formerly of EW and my personal Oscar guru of many years, now found on Fandango, predicts 6 nominated films (Argo, Les Misérables, Life of Pi, Lincoln, Silver Linings Playbook, and Zero Dark Thirty). Check out his video for his full run down. Karger's EW replacement, Anthony Breznican, whom EW has dubbed their Prize Fighter (we'll see about that), is listing 10 Best Picture nominees and saying that just the first 6 are definite: 1. Lincoln 2. Zero Dark Thirty 3. Les Misérables 4. Argo 5. Life of Pi 6. Silver Linings Playbook 7. Amour 8. Beasts of the Southern Wild 9. Moonrise Kingdom 10. Skyfall.

Earlier this week on 1/8, the Director's Guild announced their nominees:
• Ben Affleck, Argo
• Kathryn Bigelow, Zero Dark Thirty
• Hooper, Les Miserables
• Ang Lee, Life of Pi
• Steven Spielberg, Lincoln.

The Writer's Guild nominations were announced January 4th and are as follows. I did not include the Documentary Screenplay category because there is no equivalent in the Oscars and documentaries having screenplays seems odd, possibly even questionable.
ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY
• Flight Written by John Gatins
• Looper Written by Rian Johnson
• The Master Written by Paul Thomas Anderson
• Moonrise Kingdom Written by Wes Anderson and Roman Coppola
• Zero Dark Thirty Written by Mark Boal
ADAPTED SCREENPLAY
• Argo Screenplay by Chris Terrio; Based on a selection from The Master of Disguise by Antonio J. Mendez and the Wired Magazine article “The Great Escape” by Joshuah Bearman
• Life of Pi Screenplay by David Magee; Based on the novel by Yann Martel
• Lincoln Screenplay by Tony Kushner; Based in part on the book Team of Rivals: The Political Genius of Abraham Lincoln by Doris Kearns Goodwin
• The Perks of Being a Wallflower Screenplay by Stephen Chbosky; Based on his own novel
• Silver Linings Playbook Screenplay by David O. Russell; Based on the novel by Matthew Quick

Here is an interesting link to an EW article that discusses winners and nominated films prior to the kickoff of the Oscar race.

As we get into Oscar month I will also share and discuss the Independent Spirit Award nominations and the BAFTAs.

For today, in an effort to provide you with well-rounded information, the Screen Actor's Guild nominations that have been out since December 12th are listed below. The SAG Awards will be broadcast on TBS and TNT on January 27th.
FILM
Male Actor, Lead
Bradley Cooper, Silver Linings Playbook
Daniel Day-Lewis, Lincoln
John Hawkes, The Sessions
Hugh Jackman, Les Misérables
Denzel Washington, Flight
Male Actor, Supporting
Alan Arkin, Argo
Javier Bardem, Skyfall
Robert De Niro, Silver Linings Playbook
Philip Seymour Hoffman, The Master
Tommy Lee Jones, Lincoln
Female Actor, Lead
Jessica Chastain, Zero Dark Thirty
Marion Cotillard, Rust and Bone
Jennifer Lawrence, Silver Linings Playbook
Helen Mirren, Hitchcock
Naomi Watts, The Impossible
Female Actor, Supporting
Sally Field, Lincoln
Anne Hathaway, Les Misérables
Helen Hunt, The Sessions
Nicole Kidman, The Paperboy
Maggie Smith, The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel
Cast in a Motion Picture
Argo
The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel
Les Misérables
Lincoln
Silver Linings Playbook
TV
Male Actor, TV Movie or Miniseries
Kevin Costner, Hatfields and McCoys
Woody Harrelson, Game Change
Ed Harris, Game Change
Clive Owen, Hemingway and Gellhorn
Bill Paxton, Hatfields and McCoys
Female Actor, TV Movie or Miniseries
Nicole Kidman, Hemingway and Gellhorn
Julianne Moore, Game Change
Charlotte Rampling, Restless
Sigourney Weaver, Political Animals
Alfre Woodard, Steel Magnolias
Male Actor, Drama Series
Steve Buscemi, Boardwalk Empire
Bryan Cranston, Breaking Bad
Jeff Daniels, The Newsroom
Jon Hamm, Mad Men
Damian Lewis, Homeland
Female Actor, Drama Series
Claire Danes, Homeland
Michelle Dockery, Downton Abbey
Jessica Lange, American Horror Story: Asylum
Julianna Margulies, The Good Wife
Maggie Smith, Downton Abbey
Male Actor, Comedy Series
Alec Baldwin, 30 Rock
Ty Burrell, Modern Family
Louis CK, Louis
Jim Parsons, The Big Bang Theory
Eric Stonestreet, Modern Family
Female Actor, Comedy Series
Edie Falco, Nurse Jackie
Tina Fey, 30 Rock
Amy Poehler, Parks and Recreation
Sofia Vergara, Modern Family
Betty White, Hot in Cleveland 
Ensemble, Comedy
30 Rock
The Big Bang Theory
Glee
Modern Family
Nurse Jackie
The Office
Ensemble, Drama
Boardwalk Empire
Breaking Bad
Downton Abbey
Homeland
Mad Men
Life Achievement Award
Dick Van Dyke