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The Simpsons has a truly massive overall cast. While most of the show centers around the titular family, there are dozens of supporting characters that have received focus over the last thirty-four seasons. This isn't even counting the nearly countless minor characters who've appeared, some of whom had plenty of untapped potential as mainstay additions to the show.

Introduced during Season 12, Francine Rhenquist had the makings of a solid addition to The Simpsons' supporting cast. The female bully served a unique role as a direct antagonist to Lisa, having the potential to become a show mainstay as a foil to the good-intentioned and brainy young girl. However, Francine only ever had one major appearance in The Simpsons. Here's how Lisa almost got her own version of Nelson.

Related: How The Simpsons Pulled Off Anime Style for Death Note Parody

Who Was Francine in The Simpsons?

Directed by Lauren MacMullan and...

Nominated for an Academy Award, Get a Horse! directed by Lauren MacMullan is marked out as an especially imaginative and witty Disney short, which cleverly brought Mickey out of the past and into the 21st Century. Making its debut at the Annecy International Animation Film Festival in 2013 to a positive audience reaction and deservedly glowing reviews, its unique premise was a clear turning point for Mickey Mouse and the Disney studio. It can be watched now, amongst other beloved Disney content, on Disney+. Stay tuned to discover why this short makes a memorable addition to the Disney collection...

It’s been almost a decade since Jennifer Lee became the first woman to helm a Walt Disney Animation Studios feature film, 2013’s “Frozen.” She partnered with Chris Buck, and the duo co-directed and co-wrote what would become one of Disney’s all-time biggest hits. The film won an Oscar for animated feature.

In 2018, Lee was upped to chief creative officer and sought to find new voices. She would help burst open the door for other female directors at the studio including Peggy Holmes, who helmed “The Little Mermaid: Ariel’s Beginning” and “Get a Horse!’s” Lauren MacMullan.

This month, Variety will bestow its Creative Leadership Award on Lee for not only her work on animation but also for helping other women follow the opening she made.

Before she could even speak, Lee, a Rhode Island native, was exposed to her grandparents’ Disney records and the books that came with them.

The Academy has announced the new class of invited members for 2014 and, as is typical, many of which are among last year's nominees, which includes Barkhad Abdi, Michael Fassbender, Sally Hawkins, Mads Mikkelsen, Lupita Nyong'o and June Squibb in the Actors branch not to mention curious additions such as Josh Hutcherson, Rob Riggle and Jason Statham, but, okay. The Directors branch adds Jay and Mark Duplass along with Jean-Marc Vallee, Denis Villeneuve and Thomas Vinterberg. I didn't do an immediate tally of male to female additions or other demographics, but at first glance it seems to be a wide spread batch of new additions on all fronts. The Academy is also clearly attempting to aggressively bump up the demographics as this is the second year in a row where they have added a large number of new members, well over the average of 133 new members from 2004 to 2012. As far as...

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences is extending invitations to join the organization to 271 artists and executives who have distinguished themselves by their contributions to theatrical motion pictures.

Those who accept the invitations will be the only additions to the Academy’s membership in 2014.

“This year’s class of invitees represents some of the most talented, creative and passionate filmmakers working in our industry today,” said Academy President Cheryl Boone Isaacs. “Their contributions to film have entertained audiences around the world, and we are proud to welcome them to the Academy.”

The 2014 invitees are:

Actors

Barkhad Abdi – “Captain Phillips”

Clancy Brown – “The Hurricane,” “The Shawshank Redeption”

Paul Dano – “12 Years a Slave,” “Prisoners”

Michael Fassbender – “12 Years a Slave,” “Shame”

Ben Foster – “Lone Survivor,” “Ain’t Them Bodies Saints”

Beth Grant – “The Artist,” “No Country for Old Men”

Clark Gregg – “Much Ado about Nothing,” “Marvel’s The Avengers”

Sally Hawkins – “Blue Jasmine,...

Michael Fassbender and Lupita Nyong’o of 12 Years a Slave were two of the 271 artists and industry leaders invited to become members of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, which determines nominations and winners at the annual Oscars. The entire list of Academy membership—which numbers about 6,000—isn’t public information so the annual invitation list is often the best indication of the artists involved in the prestigious awards process. It’s worth noting that invitations need to be accepted in order for artists to become members; some artists, like two-time Best Actor winner Sean Penn, have declined membership over the years.

Pop quiz: What do Chris Rock, Claire Denis, Eddie Vedder and Josh Hutcherson all have in common? Answer: They could all be Oscar voters very soon. The annual Academy of Motion Pictures Arts & Sciences invitation list always makes for interesting reading, shedding light on just how large and far-reaching the group's membership is -- or could be, depending on who accepts their invitations. This year, 271 individuals have been asked to join AMPAS, meaning every one of them could contribute to next year's Academy Awards balloting -- and it's as diverse a list as they've ever assembled. Think the Academy consists entirely of fusty retired white dudes? Not if recent Best Original Song nominee Pharrell Williams takes them up on their offer. Think it's all just a Hollywood insiders' game? Not if French arthouse titans Chantal Akerman and Olivier Assayas join the party. It's a list that subverts expectation at every turn.

Oscar 2014 winners and nominees (photo: Oscar winners Lupita Nyong’o and Jared Leto chat at the 2014 Oscar ceremony) Best Picture: American Hustle, Charles Roven, Richard Suckle, Megan Ellison, Jonathan Gordon; Captain Phillips, Scott Rudin, Dana Brunetti, Michael De Luca; Dallas Buyers Club, Robbie Brenner, Rachel Winter; Gravity, Alfonso Cuarón, David Heyman; Her, Megan Ellison, Spike Jonze, Vincent Landay; Nebraska, Albert Berger, Ron Yerxa; Philomena, Gabrielle Tana, Steve Coogan, Tracey Seaward; 12 Years a Slave, Brad Pitt, Dede Gardner, Jeremy Kleiner, Steve McQueen, Anthony Katagas; The Wolf of Wall Street, Martin Scorsese, Leonardo DiCaprio, Joey McFarland, Emma Tillinger Koskoff. Best Foreign Language Film: The Broken Circle Breakdown, Belgium; The Great Beauty, Italy; The Hunt, Denmark; The Missing Picture, Cambodia; Omar, Palestine. Best Actress: Amy Adams, American Hustle; Cate Blanchett, Blue Jasmine; Sandra Bullock, Gravity; Judi Dench, Philomena; Meryl Streep, August: Osage County. Best Actor: Christian Bale, American Hustle; Bruce Dern, Nebraska; Leonardo DiCaprio,...

The 86th annual Academy Awards were really fun to watch. Ellen Degeneres did a fantastic job hosting, and I enjoyed the show she put on. It was also insanely predictable, at least, for me it was. Overall, I'm happy with all of the films that won. My favorite win of the the night was Spike Jonze taking home the Oscar for Best Original screenplay for Her. That was such an amazing movie, and I really wanted it to win that award, but I wasn't sure it would happen. My favorite speech of the night came from Best Actor winner Matthew McConaughey. I was never really a big fan of his, but over the last couple of years he has sure blown up into an amazing actor who has starred in some really incredible films. Then that speech he gave last night won me over, and now I'm on team McConaughey.

It was another incredible night at the 86th Academy Awards earlier this evening (March 2), as Ellen DeGeneres hosted a wonderful show filled with fabulous moments.

Big wins went to Jared Leto and Lupita Nyong'o in the Supporting Actors categories, while Cate Blanchett and Matthew McConaughey took home the golden statues for their work as Leading Actors.

Meanwhile, the cast and crew of "12 Years a Slave" was recognized with a Best Picture Oscar and Alfonso Cuaron took home the award for Best Director.

Check out the full list of 2014 Academy Award winners below!

Best Picture

"American Hustle"

"Captain Phillips"

"Dallas Buyers Club"

"Gravity"

"Her"

"Nebraska"

"Philomena"

Winner "12 Years a Slave"

"The Wolf of Wall Street"

Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role

Barkhad Abdi in “Captain Phillips”

Bradley Cooper in “American Hustle”

Michael Fassbender in “12 Years a Slave”

Jonah Hill in “The Wolf of Wall Street”

Winner Jared Leto...

After a lengthy awards season that lasted three long months, the race for the Oscars came to a conclusion tonight at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood.

This year’s 86th Academy Awards saw a split between Best Picture and Director. 12 Years A Slave won three, including Best Picture, Best Adapted Screenplay and Best Supporting Actress for Lupita Nyong’o.

Backstage, producer/actor Brad Pitt said, “ I love this movie. I ‑‑ just as a film, as a lover of film, the filmmaking, the ‑‑ this heroic story of a man in this inhumane situation trying to get back to his family. I love this film. I love the filmmaking. It’s counterintuitive to the way we’re making films today. It’s a real achievement by Mr. McQueen here. I love this movie. I think it’s important. I think it’s important because it deals with our history that we haven...

And in the end, it was a predictable Oscar night! The frontrunners were true frontrunners with "12 Years a Slave" taking home the Best Picture trophy while "Gravity" won all technical awards. In the acting categories, Cate Blanchett won Best Actress, Matthew McConaughey was awarded the Best Actor trophy, while Jared Leto and Lupita Nyong'o received the Supporting Actor and Actress awards, respectively.

I think Ellen did a great job hosting the award, and the best musical performer for me was Pink singing "Over the Rainbow" in tribute to "The Wizard of Oz."

And here are the winners of the granddaddy of the Awards Season -- the 2014 Oscars:

Actor in a Leading Role

Christian Bale in .American Hustle.

Bruce Dern in .Nebraska.

Leonardo DiCaprio in .The Wolf of Wall Street.

Chiwetel Ejiofor in .12 Years a Slave.

Winner: Matthew McConaughey in .Dallas Buyers Club.

Actor in a Supporting Role

Barkhad Abdi in...

Another year has gone by with some simply fantastic movies and yes, it’s the night of the Oscars yet again. We’ll be up throughout the night tweeting from @HeyUGuys and we’ll be updating this post as we go throughout the night.

If you miss a winner, fear not as they’ll all be here as we go or if you’re reading this in the UK in the morning, welcome and we’re no doubt asleep!

The Tally:

Gravity: 7 Dallas Buyers Club: 3 12 Years a Slave: 3 The Great Gatsby: 2 Frozen: 2 Blue Jasmine: 1

—————————

Best Picture

“American Hustle” Charles Roven, Richard Suckle, Megan Ellison and Jonathan Gordon, Producers “Captain Phillips” Scott Rudin, Dana Brunetti and Michael De Luca, Producers “Dallas Buyers Club” Robbie Brenner and Rachel Winter, Producers “Gravity” Alfonso Cuarón and David Heyman, Producers “Her” Megan Ellison, Spike Jonze and Vincent Landay, Producers “Nebraska” Albert Berger and Ron Yerxa,...

The 86th Annual Academy Awards have come and gone, and Et has the complete list of winners!

Read on to find out who took home gold. (Winners underlined).

Related Pics: Hit or Miss: The 2014 Oscars!

Best Supporting Actor

Barkhad Abdi, Captain Phillips

Bradley Cooper, American Hustle

Jonah Hill, The Wolf of Wall Street

Michael Fassbender, 12 Years a Slave

Jared Leto, Dallas Buyers Club

Best Supporting Actress

Lupita Nyong'o, 12 Years a Slave

Jennifer Lawrence, American Hustle

June Squibb, Nebraska

Julia Roberts, August: Osage County

Sally Hawkins, Blue Jasmine

Best Animated Feature

Frozen

The Croods

The Wind Rises

Despicable Me 2

Ernest & Celestine

Best Picture

American Hustle

Captain Phillips

Dallas Buyers Club

Gravity

Her

Nebraska

Philomena

12 Years a Slave

The Wolf of Wall Street

Best Lead Actor

Christian Bale, American Hustle

Bruce Dern, Nebraska

Leonardo DiCaprio, The Wolf of Wall Street

Chiwetel Ejiofor, 12 Years a Slave

Matthew McConaughey, Dallas Buyers Club

Best Lead Actress

Amy Adams, American Hustle

[link...

Screen is updating the Oscar winners live here…winners so far include Dallas Buyers Club, Gravity, Frozen, The Great Beauty, 12 Years A Slave and more.

The winners are being announced at the 86th Academy Awards in Los Angeles.

The winners are listed below, followed by the nominees.

Best motion picture of the year“American Hustle” Charles Roven, Richard Suckle, Megan Ellison and Jonathan Gordon, Producers“Captain Phillips” Scott Rudin, Dana Brunetti and Michael De Luca, Producers“Dallas Buyers Club” Robbie Brenner and Rachel Winter, Producers“Gravity” Alfonso Cuarón and David Heyman, Producers“Her” Megan Ellison, Spike Jonze and Vincent Landay, Producers“Nebraska” Albert Berger and Ron Yerxa, Producers“Philomena” Gabrielle Tana, Steve Coogan and Tracey Seaward, Producers“12 Years a Slave” Brad Pitt, Dede Gardner, Jeremy Kleiner, Steve McQueen and Anthony Katagas, Producers“The Wolf of Wall Street” Nominees to be determinedPerformance by an actor in a leading roleChristian Bale in “American Hustle”Bruce Dern in “Nebraska”[link...

Waking up bright and early, Chris Hemsworth headed over to the Samuel Goldwyn Theater in Beverly Hills, CA to announce the 2014 Academy Award nominations on January 16.

In addition, the President of the Academy, Cheryl Boone Isaacs, took to the stage to kick off the day in honor the "heroes" in the film industry and read off the list with the "Thor" hunk.

Starting off the nominees list were the talented men in the Supporting Actor category including Barkad Abdi, Bradley Cooper, Michael Fassbender, Jonah Hill and Jared Leto.

As for the ladies in the Supporting Actress category, Sally Hawkins, Jennifer Lawrence, Lupita Nyong'o, Julia Roberts and June Squibb each earned recognition.

When it came to the Best Picture nominees, nine films including "American Hustle," "Captain Phillips," "Dallas Buyers Club," "Gravity," "Her," "Nebraska," "Philomena," "12 Years a Slave" and "The Wolf of Wall Street" gained a nod.

Check out the full list of 2014 Oscar nominees below!

The 86th Annual Academy Awards are happening right now, hosted by Ellen DeGeneres. We'll be updating this story live as the Academy Awards are being handed out, so keep refreshing to see all the latest winners, and chime in with your thoughts on Hollywood's biggest night of the year.

Best Picture

12 Years a Slave

American Hustle

Captain Phillips

Dallas Buyers Club

Gravity

Her

Nebraska

Philomena

The Wolf of Wall Street

Best Actor In A Leading Role

Matthew McConaughey - Dallas Buyers Club

Christian Bale - American Hustle

Bruce Dern - Nebraska

Leonardo DiCaprio - The Wolf of Wall Street

Chiwetel Ejiofor - 12 Years a Slave

Best Actress In A Leading Role

Cate Blanchett - Blue Jasmine

Amy Adams - American Hustle

Sandra Bullock - Gravity

Judi Dench - Philomena

Meryl Streep - August: Osage County

Best Director

Alfonso Cuar&#243n - Gravity

Steve McQueen - 12 Years a Slave

Alexander Payne...

The Oscar nominations for the 86th Academy Awards have been announced but who will win and who should win? In a banner year for great movies, 2013 gave us thought-provoking and entertaining experience at the cinema. On Oscar night, Steve McQueen.s .12 Years a Slave. will take home the top prize but Alfonso Cuaron.s .Gravity. will win all the technical awards including Best Director. Quite fitting since one provoked (.12 Years.) and the other entertained (.Gravity.).

And for those who know me, the Academy Awards is my Super Bowl! I.m a nerd when it comes to the Oscars! So I tried to predict the winners to help you with your Oscar pool.

And here's my complete and utterly fearless 2014 Oscar predictions:

Actor in a Leading Role

Christian Bale in .American Hustle.

Bruce Dern in .Nebraska.

Leonardo DiCaprio in .The Wolf of Wall Street.

Chiwetel Ejiofor in .12 Years a Slave.

Matthew McConaughey...

Contributed by Michelle McCue, Melissa Thompson and Gary Salem

Funny how fast an Oscar season goes by… only last year Argo was being given the Academy Award for Best Picture. The big night is almost here and nothing about this year’s Academy Awards is a sure bet. With so much time between the nominations in January, the various guild awards and the Olympics thrown in, the 6,028 AMPAS voters have had a long time to mull things, and their votes, over.

The winner’s acceptance speeches at the Golden Globes, the Screen Actor Guild Awards (SAG) and the British Academy Awards (BAFTA) have never been more important as they have during this past month and a half. Voting for the Oscars closed on Tuesday, February 25, at 5 p.m.

Even the avid pundits are in a muddle and would give their eye teeth to see the final tallies. Will hopefuls Leto,...

By Michelle McCue and Gary Salem

Welcome to Oscar Week!

From Tuesday through Saturday, the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences invites movie geeks each night to get an up close look at the various categories and nominees.

Kicking off the week was the “Oscar Celebrates: Shorts” event on Tuesday, February 25, 2014 at the Samuel Goldwyn Theater in Beverly Hills.

Actor Kevin Pollack hosted the evening with screenings of all the 2013 Oscar-nominated films in the Animated and Live Action Short Film categories, plus onstage discussions with the filmmakers.

So what exactly qualifies a film into these categories? According to AMPAS rule 19, “a short film is defined as an original motion picture that has a running time of 40 minutes or less, including all credits.” It goes on to say, “An animated film is created by using a frame-by-frame technique, and usually falls into one of the two general fields of animation: character or abstract.

We’re getting closer to Hollywood’s night to shine – the Oscars. This year’s nominations are a bevy of brilliant films, performances and crafts, the motion picture industry at its best.

The Academy Awards is the gold standard by which every other awards show is measured, because when it comes to the biggest night in film, nobody does it better than Oscar!

In anticipation of the star-studded night at the Dolby Theatre, the gang at Wamg has chosen their favorite nominees – from the Best Picture and Best Acting categories to the technical categories, here’s a close-up look at our Top 10 Favorite nominees.

Best Picture – American Hustle

By Jim Batts

The Best Picture Oscar usually goes to the film that shines a light on a social injustice, a historical event, or individuals battling injury or disease. The most wildly entertaining (sorry Marty and Leo, but three hours of arrogant...

2013 was an unusually rich year for movies. I felt strongly about both my top ten choices of the year and the runners-up, and I still left off a ton of movies that I enjoyed completely and that I'd recommend to audiences. One of the things that is hardest for me to get my head around when contemplating the Oscars is the idea of picking one thing to represent the year in each of these categories. Still, if I were told today that I had an Oscar ballot and I was asked to vote, the only way I could do it would be operating from pure gut feeling. I wouldn't worry about trying to predict anyone else's response. This was an annual exercise for Siskel and Ebert for years, and they always seemed to use the opportunity to champion what they felt were the underdogs of the nominations. We'll run down every category here.

If you’ve seen Frozen, you’ve seen the cutting-edge/old-fashioned Mickey Mouse short Get a Horse! (And given Frozen’s box office at this point, we’re guessing that means everybody.)

But even if you’ve already watched the nuvo-retro Mickey movie, which combines an old-school 1930s hand-drawn style with state-of-the-art digital animation and 3-D effects, you probably haven’t seen everything the Oscar-nominated short has to offer.

EW has an exclusive clip of the Walt Disney Animation Studios film – when things go from flat to flat-out crazy. Director Lauren MacMullan walked us through all the little details, hidden and otherwise.

What were the most challenging scenes to animate in the Oscar-Nominated shorts? I posed this to all five directors: Lauren MacMullan ("Get A Horse!"), Daniel Sousa ("Feral"), Shuhei Morita ("Possessions"), Laurent Witz ("Mr. Hublot"), and Max Lang ("Room on the Broom").In "Feral," the striking story of a wild child trying to re-integrate into civilization, the opening was the most challenging and most important for Sousa. "In it, a rustic windmill emerges from the darkness and we gradually realize that there's a naked child inside. The image of the windmill comes up from time to time throughout the film, and I never really explain its significance. It's one of those motifs that are impossible to write about in a written treatment or a script, because they are a bit surreal and hard to justify. But in the context of watching the film and being immersed in the emotion of the moment,...

A version of this story originally appeared in OscarWrap: Foreign Language/Documentaries Talk about a daunting reboot. With “Get a Horse!,” director Lauren MacMullan wasn’t just reviving a tradition of Disney short animation that had won the company more than a dozen Academy Awards over the years. She was also adopting early Disney animation style, and taking as her leading man — sorry, leading mouse — none other than Mickey Mouse, the character on whose back the entire Disney dynasty was formed. “Strangely enough, I just kind of kept my head down and tried to do it,” MacMullan told TheWrap. “It.

Todd Wawrychuk / ©A.M.P.A.S.

More than 150 Oscar Nominees came together on Monday, February 10, at the Beverly Hilton when the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences honored this year’s Oscar contenders at its annual Nominees Luncheon.

Academy president Cheryl Boone Isaacs welcomed the large crowd with, “What a remarkable year for film it’s been.”

During the afternoon all the nominees posed for the annual class photo. Click on the photo above for giant sized look.

Among the Lead Actor and Actress nominees, Amy Adams, Christian Bale, Cate Blanchett, Sandra Bullock, Bruce Dern, Leonardo DiCaprio, Matthew McConaughey and Meryl Streep attended the pre-Oscars event. Supporting Actor and Actress nominees Barkhad Abdi, Bradley Cooper, Jonah Hill, Jared Leto, Lupita Nyong’o, Julia Roberts and June Squibb also joined in the celebratory lunch.

All five nominees in the Directing category, Alfonso Cuarón, Steve McQueen, Alexander Payne, David O. Russell and Martin Scorsese,...

I recently chatted with the Oscar nominees for "Feral" (Daniel Sousa), the Annie-winning "Get a Horse!" (Lauren MacMullan), "Mr. Hublot" (Laurent Witz), "Possessions" (Shuhei Morita), and "Room on the Broom" (Max Lang). We discussed personal connections and challenges. Interestingly, all five of the films explore the theme of adjusting to change in our lives.What's the reaction been like in seeing “Get a Horse!,” this unique hyrbrid representation of Mickey?Lauren MacMullan: It's been great to see people react to it in a theater: they gasp at Mickey coming out of the screen; I've seen some little kids reach up into the air for the animals as they swing out. So we'e got a range of reactions from critics and cinephiles and at the same time kids whose first movie this is.The world of ‘Mr. Hublot’ reminded me of "Brazil."Laurent Witz: Ah, Brazil is definitely an inspiration.

The French “Mr. Hublot” creates an utterly real yet completely fantastical world, a palpable steampunk environment of gorgeous mechanical loveliness. I’m “biast” (pro): nothing

I’m “biast” (con): nothing

(what is this about? see my critic’s minifesto)

Silent movies are alive and well… in animated shorts. And one of the nominees this year for the Oscar for Best Animated Short Film is an explicit throwback to the earliest days of cinema. Ironically, the very first Mickey Mouse short, in 1928, was in fact one of the first sound cartoons, but Disney’s black-and-white, 1920s-retro “Get a Horse!” [IMDb] is as near to a silent film as shorts get these days. (If you’ve seen Frozen, you’ll remember this short from the preshow.) There’s next to no dialogue as Mickey, Minnie, and Co. enjoy a hay ride that goes awry, though there are plenty of goofy sound...

Oscar nominated short films will be screened in theaters across the country starting Friday, Jan. 31 and will be available on demand and for download on iTunes beginning Feb. 25.

The nominees in the three categories – Best Live Action Short, Best Animated Short and Best Documentary Short – span from running times of 5 minutes to 40 and come from a handful of countries around the world.

Click here to find a theater near you.

Here is a list of the nominated films, all of which will be screened as part of this event.

Best Live Action Short:

Do I Have To Take Care of Everything? from director Selma Vilhunen (Finland)

Just Before Losing Everything from director Xavier Legrand (France)

Helium from director Anders Walter (Denmark)

That Wasn’t Me from director Esteban Crespo (Spain)

The Voorman Problem from director Mark Gill (United Kingdom)

Best Animated Short:

Feral – Daniel Sousa (USA)

Get A Horse! – Lauren MacMullan...

The Oscar nominations for the 86th Academy Awards have been announced but who will win and who should win? In a banner year for great movies, 2013 gave us thought-provoking and entertaining experience at the cinema. On Oscar night, Steve McQueen.s .12 Years a Slave. will take home the top prize but Alfonso Cuaron.s .Gravity. will win all the technical awards including Best Director. Quite fitting since one provoked (.12 Years.) and the other entertained (.Gravity.).

And for those who know me, the Academy Awards is my Super Bowl! I.m a nerd when it comes to the Oscars! So I tried to predict the winners to help you in your Oscar pool.

And here's my complete and utterly fearless 2014 Oscar predictions:

Actor in a Leading Role

Christian Bale in .American Hustle.

Bruce Dern in .Nebraska.

Leonardo DiCaprio in .The Wolf of Wall Street.

Chiwetel Ejiofor in .12 Years a Slave.

Matthew McConaughey...

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences announced nominations for the 86th Academy awards on Thursday.

The award ceremony will be held on March 2 in Hollywood.

Complete list of nominations:

Best Picture

12 Years a Slave

American Hustle

Captain Phillips

Dallas Buyers Club

Gravity

Her

Nebraska

Philomena

The Wolf of Wall Street

Best Director

David O. Russell, “American Hustle”

Alfonso Cuaron, “Gravity”

Alexander Payne, “Nebraska”

Steve McQueen, “12 Years a Slave”

Martin Scorsese, “The Wolf of Wall Street”

Best Actor

Christian Bale, “American Hustle”

Bruce Dern, “Nebraska”

Leonardo DiCaprio, “The Wolf of Wall Street”

Chiwetel Ejiofor, “12 Years a Slave”

Matthew McConaughey, “Dallas Buyers Club”

Best Actress

Amy Adams, “American Hustle”

Cate Blanchett, “Blue Jasmine”

Sandra Bullock, “Gravity”

Judi Dench, “Philomena”

Meryl Streep, “August: Osage County”

Best Original Screenplay

“American Hustle” – Written by Eric Warren Singer and David O. Russell

“Blue Jasmine” – Written by Woody Allen

“Her” – Written by Spike Jonze

“Nebraska...

Sneak Peek this year's official "Oscars" nominations for the 86th annual Academy Awards broadcast, airing March 2, 2014, live on ABC.

Achievement in makeup and hairstyling

“Dallas Buyers Club” Adruitha Lee and Robin Mathews

“Jackass Presents: Bad Grandpa” Stephen Prouty

“The Lone Ranger” Joel Harlow and Gloria Pasqua-Casny

Achievement in music written for motion pictures (Original score)

“The Book Thief” John Williams

“Gravity” Steven Price

“Her” William Butler and Owen Pallett

“Philomena” Alexandre Desplat

“Saving Mr. Banks” Thomas Newman

Achievement in music written for motion pictures (Original song)

“Alone Yet Not Alone” from “Alone Yet Not Alone”

Music by Bruce Broughton; Lyric by Dennis Spiegel

“Happy” from “Despicable Me 2”

Music and Lyric by Pharrell Williams

“Let It Go” from “Frozen”

Music and Lyric by Kristen Anderson-Lopez and Robert Lopez

“The Moon Song” from “Her”

Music by Karen O; Lyric by Karen O and Spike Jonze

“Ordinary Love” from “Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom...

Oscar has smiled upon Australia this morning, with Academy Awards nominations for Cate Blanchett, Catherine Martin, Beverly Dunn, Michael Wilkinson and Dave Clayton.

If Blanchett wins best actress for Blue Jasmine, she will become the first Australian actor in history with two gold statues. She was named best supporting actress for The Aviator in 2005.

Martin (production design, costume design) and Dunn (costume design) are nominated for their work in The Great Gatsby. .Cm. won twice before, for art direction and costume design for Moulin Rouge! This is Dunn.s first Oscar nod; she won an AFI award for Australia, shared with Martin, Ian Gracie and Karen Murphy.

La-based costume designer Wilkinson scored his first nomination for American Hustle.

Visual effects wizard Dave Clayton was recognised for his work on The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug, shared with Joe Letteri, Eric Saindon and Eric Reynolds. Clayton, Letteri and Saindon were nominated...

Oscar nominations 2014: Quite a few surprises (photo: Best Actress Oscar nominee Amy Adams in ‘American Hustle’) The Oscar 2014 nominations were announced early on Thursday morning, January 16, at the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences’ Samuel Goldwyn Theater. Was Amy Adams shortlisted for American Hustle? Did Meryl Streep break another Oscar record? Did Robert Redford nearly break the record for longest gap between nominations in the acting categories? Was Jennifer Lawrence snubbed? Did Scarlett Johansson make Oscar history for her voice performance as Joaquin Phoenix’s love interest in Her? Was Peter Jackson-Ian McKellen’s The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug shortlisted in the technical categories? Well, below you’ll find the answers to all these questions. Be prepared: as usual, there were quite a few surprises. (You can compare the Academy’s choices to our Oscar 2014 predictions.) Full list of Oscar 2014 nominations Best Picture: American Hustle,...

Contributed by Michelle McCue and Melissa Thompson

For many, Christmas morning came today in the form of the annual Oscar nominations announcement.

Actor Chris Hemsworth and Academy President Cheryl Boone Isaacs announced the nominations for the 86th Academy Awards today (January 16) at a 5:38 a.m. Pt live news conference attended by more than 400 international media representatives. Wamg was once again invited to the big event.

American Hustle and Gravity were the films of the day with 10 nominations, followed by a great showing for Steve McQueen’s 12 Years A Slave with 9 nods.

Captain Phillips, Nebraska and Dallas Buyers Club saw 6 each, while Spike Jonze’s Her and Martin Scorsese’s The Wolf Of Wall Street garnered 5 a piece.

Of note, all the 9 Best Picture nominees were released in the last part of the 2013.

Gravity – October 3, 2013

Captain Phillips – October 10, 2013

12 Years a Slave – October 17, 2013

Dallas Buyers Club – November 1, 2013

Nebraska – November 15, 2013

Philomena – November...

Waking up bright and early, Chris Hemsworth headed over to the Samuel Goldwyn Theater in Beverly Hills, CA to announce the 2014 Academy Award nominations this morning (January 16).

In addition, the President of the Academy, Cheryl Boone Isaacs, took to the stage to kick off the day in honor the "heroes" in the film industry and read off the list with the "Thor" hunk.

Starting off the nominees list were the talented men in the Supporting Actor category including Barkad Abdi, Bradley Cooper, Michael Fassbender, Jonah Hill and Jared Leto.

As for the ladies in the Supporting Actress category, Sally Hawkins, Jennifer Lawrence, Lupita Nyong'o, Julia Roberts and June Squibb each earned recognition.

When it came to the Best Picture nominees, nine films including "American Hustle," "Captain Phillips," "Dallas Buyers Club," "Gravity," "Her," "Nebraska," "Philomena," "12 Years a Slave" and "The Wolf of Wall Street" gained a nod.

Check out the full list of 2014 Oscar nominees below!

Best Picture: “American Hustle” Charles Roven, Richard Suckle, Megan Ellison and Jonathan Gordon, Producers “Captain Phillips” Scott Rudin, Dana Brunetti and Michael De Luca, Producers “Dallas Buyers Club” Robbie Brenner and Rachel Winter, Producers “Gravity” Alfonso Cuarón and David Heyman, Producers “Her” Megan Ellison, Spike Jonze and Vincent Landay, Producers “Nebraska” Albert Berger and Ron Yerxa, Producers “Philomena” Gabrielle Tana, Steve Coogan and Tracey Seaward, Producers “12 Years a Slave” Brad Pitt, Dede Gardner, Jeremy Kleiner, Steve McQueen and Anthony Katagas, Producers “The Wolf of Wall Street” Nominees to be determined Director: “American Hustle” David O. Russell “Gravity” Alfonso Cuarón “Nebraska” Alexander Payne “12 Years a Slave” Steve McQueen “The Wolf of Wall Street” Martin Scorsese Leading Actor: Christian Bale in “American Hustle” Bruce Dern in “Nebraska” Leonardo DiCaprio in “The Wolf of Wall Street” Chiwetel Ejiofor in “12 Years a Slave” Matthew McConaughey in “Dallas Buyers Club” Supporting Actor: Barkhad Abdi in...

Actor Chris Hemsworth and Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences President Cheryl Boone Isaacs announced the nominations for the 86th Annual Academy Awards this morning at the Academy's Samuel Goldwyn Theater in Beverly Hills, California. Take a look at the full list of Academy Awards nominees below.

Best Picture

American Hustle

Captain Phillips

Dallas Buyers Club

Gravity

Her

Nebraska

Philomena

12 Years a Slave

The Wolf of Wall Street

Best Director

Alfonso Cuar&#243n - Gravity

Steve McQueen - 12 Years a Slave

Alexander Payne - Nebraska

David O. Russell - American Hustle

Martin Scorsese - The Wolf of Wall Street

Best Actor In A Leading Role

Christian Bale - American Hustle

Bruce Dern - Nebraska

Leonardo DiCaprio - The Wolf of Wall Street

Chiwetel Ejiofor - 12 Years a Slave

Matthew McConaughey - Dallas Buyers Club

Best Actress In A Leading Role

Amy Adams - American Hustle

Cate Blanchett - Blue Jasmine...

The 2014 Oscar nominations were announced this morning, with American Hustle and Gravity leading the way with 10 nods each, followed by 12 Years a Slave with nine.

Check out statements from Bradley Cooper, Meryl Streep, Leonardo DiCaprio, U2, and more below.

“Thank you Academy for this incredible recognition. These nominations are not just about single achievements, but rather the collective effort of hundreds of dedicated artists who made this dream a reality. On behalf of everyone involved with Gravity I want to express our deepest gratitude to the industry, the exhibitors and the public for embracing this film so passionately. A special...

With the Golden Globes this past weekend the awards season is definitely in full swing, and the biggest one of them all (the Academy Awards) announced their nominations early this morning. As always there are surprises and snubs, but American Hustle and Gravity are the clear frontrunners with both nabbing a nice 10 nominations a piece. Come inside to check out the full list of this year's Oscar noms!

Below you'll find the full list of nominees that were announced this morning by Chris Hemsworth and AMPAS president Cheryl Boone Isaacs. You can see who will take home the Oscars when Ellen DeGeneres hosts the awards show on March 2nd.

Best Actor in a Supporting Role

Barkhad Abdi, Captain Phillips

Bradley Cooper, American Hustle

Michael Fassbender, 12 Years a Slave

Jonah Hill, The Wolf of Wall Street

Jared Leto, Dallas Buyers Club

Best Actress in a Supporting Role

Sally Hawkins, Blue Jasmine

Jennifer Lawrence,...

We woke up early with Hollywood this morning for the nominations for the granddaddy of the awards season -- the Oscars! Mister Thor himself, Chris Hemsworth, along with the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences President Cheryl Boone Isaacs announced the nominations, and there were not a whole lot of surprises.

But I'm very happy that the Academy honored "Dallas Buyers Club" with a nod for Best Picture along with Golden Globe winners, Matthew McConaughey and Jared Leto, getting Best Actor and Best Supporting Actor nominations respectively.

David O. Russell's "American Hustle" and Alfonso Cuaron's "Gravity" dominated the nominations with 10 nods each including Best Picture. The films will compete with "12 Years a Slave," "Captain Phillips," "Her," "Nebraska," "Philomena," "Dallas Buyers Club," and "The Wolf of Wall Street."

Emma Thompson, two-time Oscar winner, was ignored for her fantastic work in "Saving Mr. Banks," and the movie failed to...

Now that we are knee-deep in awards season it is time to avoid to political back-slapping and enjoy the film year in retrospect. There’s little chance that the 86th Academy Awards nominations will throw up any grand surprises however the debate it will stir will all point to a positive outcome: that people who love film will champion them and argue about their inclusion (or not).

With the 2014 BAFTA nominations recently announced it’ll be interesting to see how far apart the two Academies are this year, but there are sure to be favourites in common. Steve McQueen’s 12 Years a Slave is certain to gather up nominations, likewise Alfonso Cuarón’s Gravity will grab onto directing and technical awards for sure, American Hustle is certain to have a nomination of two as well. What we’re looking forward to are the smaller films, unable to throw stocked coffers at For Your Consideration campaigns,...

The 86th Annual Academy Award nominations were revealed this morning, Jan. 16, and though many of the names and films called out were expected (American Hustle, Her, 12 Years a Slave), there were a few surprises (Nebraska) and snubs (The Butler, Inside Llewyn Davis).

American Hustle and Gravity dominated with 10 Oscar noms each, while 12 Years a Slave wasn't too far behind with nine nominations. Meanwhile, Nebraska nabbed six Oscar nods, as well as Dallas Buyers Club and Captain Phillips.

Related Pics: 15 Best Oscar Dresses Of All Time

And the nominees are:

Best Supporting Actor

Barkhad Abdi, Captain Phillips

Bradley Cooper, American Hustle

Jonah Hill, The Wolf of Wall Street

Michael Fassbender, 12 Years a Slave

Jared Leto, Dallas Buyers Club

Best Supporting Actress

Lupita Nyong'o, 12 Years a Slave

Jennifer Lawrence, American Hustle

June Squibb, Nebraska

Julia Roberts, August: Osage County

Sally Hawkins, Blue Jasmine

Best Animated Feature

Frozen

The Croods

The Wind Rises

Despicable Me 2

Ernest & Celestine

Best Picture...

Nominations for the 86th annual Academy Awards will be announced today by actor Chris Hemsworth and Academy President Cheryl Boone Isaacs at the Academy’s Samuel Goldwyn Theater in Beverly Hills.

You can now watch the nominations Live by using the video below and later on we will post all the nominations.

Academy Awards for outstanding film achievements of 2013 will be presented on Sunday, March 2, at the Dolby Theatre® at Hollywood & Highland Center®, and televised live on the ABC Television Network. The Oscar presentation, produced by Craig Zadan and Neil Meron, will also be televised live in more than 225 countries and territories worldwide.

Below is the full list of nominations and see who will take home the Oscar on Sunday, March 2, 2014.

Are there any nods that surprised you?

Actor in a Leading Role

Christian Bale, American Hustle

Bruce Dern, Nebraska

Leonardo DiCaprio, The Wolf of Wall Street

Chiwetel Ejiofor, 12 Years a Slave

Matthew McConaughey,...

Full list of nominations for the 86th Academy Awards. Best motion picture of the year“American Hustle” Charles Roven, Richard Suckle, Megan Ellison and Jonathan Gordon, Producers“Captain Phillips” Scott Rudin, Dana Brunetti and Michael De Luca, Producers“Dallas Buyers Club” Robbie Brenner and Rachel Winter, Producers“Gravity” Alfonso Cuarón and David Heyman, Producers“Her” Megan Ellison, Spike Jonze and Vincent Landay, Producers“Nebraska” Albert Berger and Ron Yerxa, Producers“Philomena” Gabrielle Tana, Steve Coogan and Tracey Seaward, Producers“12 Years a Slave” Brad Pitt, Dede Gardner, Jeremy Kleiner, Steve McQueen and Anthony Katagas, Producers“The Wolf of Wall Street” Nominees to be determinedPerformance by an actor in a leading roleChristian Bale in “American Hustle”Bruce Dern in “Nebraska”Leonardo DiCaprio in “The Wolf of Wall Street”Chiwetel Ejiofor in “12 Years a Slave”Matthew McConaughey in “Dallas Buyers Club”Performance by an actor in a supporting roleBarkhad Abdi in “Captain Phillips”Bradley Cooper in “American Hustle”Michael Fassbender in “12 Years...

News Louisa Mellor 16 Jan 2014 - 13:53

They're here: here are the Oscar nominations for 2014...

Ahead of the ceremony on March 2nd 2014, the nominations for the 2014 Academy Awards have now been announced. And, without further ado, here's the full list of runners and riders for this year's Oscars...

Best Picture

American Hustle

Captain Phillips

Dallas Buyers Club

Gravity

The Wolf Of Wall Street

Her

Nebraska

Philomena

Twelve Years A Slave

Best Actor

Christian Bale (American Hustle)

Bruce Dern (Nebraska)

Leonardo DiCaprio (The Wolf Of Wall Street)

Chiwetel Ejiofor (Twelve Years A Slave)

Matthew McConaughey (Dallas Buyers Club)

Best Actress

Amy Adams (American Hustle)

Cate Blanchett (Blue Jasmine)

Sandra Bullock (Gravity)

Judi Dench (Philomena)

Meryl Streep (August: Osage County)

Best Supporting Actor

Barkhad Abdi (Captain Phillips)

Bradley Cooper (American Hustle)

Michael Fassbender (Twelve Years A Slave)

Jonah Hill (The Wolf Of Wall Street)

Jared Leto (Dallas Buyers Club)

Best Supporting Actress

Sally Hawkins...

Oscar 2014 predictions: From ‘Gravity’ to ‘The Great Gatsby’ (photo: George Clooney in ‘Gravity’) See previous post: "Oscar 2014 Predictions: From ‘American Hustle’ to ‘The Hunt.’" Among those listed are Meryl Streep, Robert Redford, Julia Roberts, Jennifer Lawrence, David O. Russell, Jared Leto, Matthew McConaughey, Cate Blanchett, Sally Hawkins, Judi Dench, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Lupita Nyong’o, Michael Fassbender, Steve McQueen, Bruce Dern, June Squibb, James Gandolfini, Alfonso Cuarón, Sandra Bullock, Tom Hanks, and Emma Thompson. Below is the follow up list to our last-minute Oscar 2014 predictions. All lists are in alphabetical order. The only categories that feature runners-up and long shots are the two screenplay categories. Curiously, several major movies and/or widely touted potential Oscar contenders have been completely shut out of our Oscar 2014 predictions (top five films). Among these are Zack Snyder-Henry Cavill’s Man of Steel; Lee Daniels-Forest Whitaker’s The Butler; Denis Villeneuve-...

As I mentioned in my review of Disney's newest animated feature film, "Frozen," there is also a short that's going to be playing in front of the movie, and as much as I would recommend the feature, I would also urge anyone who's an animation fan in a broad general sense to check it out for the short, "Get A Horse." Directed by Lauren MacMullan, the short connects the present to the past in a fascinating way, and it is absolutely essential to see it in 3D if you want to see what the filmmakers had in mind. As I watched...

The Walt Disney toon factory used to own Best Animated Short, taking 10 of the first 11 races beginning in 1932. After that streak ended in 1942, it won just three more times with "Toot, Whistle, Plunk and Boom" (1953), "Winnie the Pooh and the Blustery Day" (1968) and "It's Tough to be a Bird" (1969). based CG to tell a tale of lost love. And it looks like the studio could claim this prize again with this year's equally ground-breaking entry "Get a Horse." It leads the 10 semi-finalists which were winnowed down from 56 qualifying submissions. Helmer Lauren MacMullan blends the old with the new in this fun-filled short. Drawings were crafted in the style of those award-winning 1930s shorts. Mickey Mouse (voiced using archival recordings of Wa...

The tradition of putting short films in front of animated features has come roaring back in recent years thanks to Pixar and Disney adding them to their big releases. We’ve enjoyed the likes of Paperman and now the Mouse House’s latest, Frozen, comes bearing the gift of throwback Mickey Mouse ‘toon Get A Horse! brightcove.createExperiences();Conceived and directed by Simpsons veteran Lauren MacMullan, Get A Horse! sees Mickey (voiced, using the original recordings, by Walt Disney himself), Minnie, friends Horace Horsecollar and Clarabelle Cow enjoyed a music-filled wagon ride. That is, until Peg-Leg Pete shows up in his noisy car and tries to run them off the road.MacMullan came up with the idea after Wreck-It Ralph director Rich Moore told her Disney was looking for more Mickey content for TV ‘toons. But it soon evolved into an idea for a short that began life as an...