All the talk centered around the 2013 Oscars (the 85th Academy Awards) seems to be whether or not the winner for Best Picture will be "Argo" or "Lincoln" and whether or not Seth MacFarlane, famed for his work in animation, will suck as a host for the usually plodding and overly-produced ceremony. The fact that the two mentioned movies are both deserving and could split the vote enough for a dark horse nominee among the other seven nominated (like "Silver Linings Playbook" and "Zero Dark Thirty") to slip through for a win has a better chance than MacFarlane doing worse than the dual disaster that was James Franco and Anne Hathaway's hosting performance in 2011. All that being said, the 2013 Oscars, which will air on Sunday evening (Feb. 24), will still captivate millions, no matter who wins, no matter who hosts.
And if the ceremony doesn't mesmerize or draw in more millions of viewers than last year's show, the Internet and bite-sized television can always be blamed. Why watch a lumbering and awkward time-consuming parade of boring when one can tune in to the network morning shows and countless Internet sites that provide rundowns, highlights, reviews, quick sound bites, and humorous slants and/or outtakes that are far more interesting. From the red carpet to Oscar post-parties and all in a few minutes. Besides, you won't have to sit through an hour of godawful fast-food and car commercials during the three-hours (or more) of time the Oscars are on the air.
But there is always some excitement leading up to the Oscars, an anticipatory electricity that runs wild for anyone who is a fan of film (or a certain film) or of certain actors or directors or composers. There will be those that want to see the Wolverine, Hugh Jackman, win for his nominated role in "Les Miserables" over Daniel Day-Lewis ("Lincoln"). And there will be those who want to see Jennifer Lawrence win for her endearing role in "Silver Linings Playbook" over the highly tauted Anne Hathaway (also of "Les Miserables").
Director Steven Spielberg might end up with the Best Director Oscar (for "Lincoln") but lose the Best Picture award to Ben Affleck ("Argo"), a repeat of his "Saving Private Ryan" triumph and loss.
Although director Ang Lee's ability to make a movie from a book nobody ever thought would be made into a movie, "Life of Pi," which garnered an astounding 11 nominations, just might walk away with nada. But, then, movies like "Lincoln," which was nominated for an even more astounding 12, have seen that kind of thing before (see: 2013 Golden Globes).
Of course, part of the evening will be given over to the elephant in the room, those directors and actors who seemed to deserve a nod from the Academy but did not receive one. Still, perhaps the most glaring omissions will be the absence of Ben Affleck ("Argo") and Kathryn Bigelow ("Zero Dark Thirty") from the Best Director nominations, which might increase both movies' chances of gaining the Best Picture Oscar.
In the end, though, trust that the 2013 Oscars will trudge on into the night. The network broadcasting the show, ABC, is promoting a ceremony-ending number by Seth MacFarlane and Kristen Chenoweth (not the "see you next year" after the Best Picture Oscar is presented) to get people to stay tuned until the end.
But that will be around 11:30 p.m. (Eastern Standard; the Oscars start at 8:30 p.m. after an hour-and-a-half red carpet ramp-up), according to listings.
(Sigh...)
Even the biggest fan of Stewie and Peter Griffin just might wait until Monday to see if it was worth watching -- because if it was, it will be talked about for a week or more (plus there will be a viral video). If it was awful or Chenoweth has a wardrobe malfunction, it will also be talked about for a week (plus a viral video and demands that MacFarlane go the way of James Franco and Jon Stewart).
But on the bright side, the 85th Academy Awards are slated to end opposite where the local news airs on other networks. Even if MacFarlane and Chenoweth bomb, it still will be more entertaining than the local news. (Besides, "The Daily Show with Jon Stewart" isn't on Sundays, so you might as well see if MacFarlane and Chenoweth are worth watching.)
Best Motion Picture
Argo
Amour
Beasts of the Southern Wild
Django Unchained
Les Miserables
Life of Pi
Lincoln
Silver Linings Playbook
Zero Dark Thirty
Best Director
David O. Russell - Silver Linings Playbook
Ang Lee - Life of Pi
Steven Speilberg - Lincoln
Michael Haneke - Amour
Benh Zeitlin - Beasts of the Southern Wild
Best Actress
Jessica Chastain, Zero Dark Thirty
Jennifer Lawrence, Silver Linings Playbook
Emmanuelle Riva, Amour
Quvenzhané Wallis, Beasts of the Southern Wild
Naomi Watts, The Impossible
Best Actor
Bradley Cooper – Silver Linings Playbook
Daniel Day-Lewis – Lincoln
Hugh Jackman – Les Misérables
Joaquin Phoenix – The Master
Denzel Washington – Flight
Best Actress In A Supporting Role
Amy Adams – The Master
Sally Field – Lincoln
Anne Hathaway – Les Misérables
Helen Hunt – The Sessions
Jacki Weaver – Silver Linings Playbook
Best Actor In A Supporting Role
Alan Arkin – Argo
Robert De Niro – Silver Linings Playbook
Phillip Seymour Hoffman – The Master
Tommy Lee Jones – Lincoln
Christoph Waltz – Django Unchained
Best Original Screenplay
Amour
Django Unchained
Flight
Moonrise Kingdom
Zero Dark Thirty
Best Adapted Screenplay
Argo
Beasts of the Southern Wild
Life of Pi
Lincoln
Silver Linings Playbook
Best Animated Film
Brave
Frankenweenie
ParaNorman
The Pirates! Band of Misfits
Wreck-It Ralph
Best Foreign Film
Amour (Austria)
Kon-Tiki (Norway)
No (Chile)
A Royal Affair (Denmark)
War Witch (Canada)
Best Documentary
5 Broken Cameras
The Gatekeepers
How to Survive a Plague
The Invisible War
Searching for Sugar Man
Best Cinematography
Anna Karenina
Django Unchained
Life of Pi
Lincoln
Skyfall
Best Film Editing
Argo
Life of Pi
Lincoln
Silver Linings Playbook
Zero Dark Thirty
Best Production Design
Anna Karenina
The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey
Les Misérables
Life of Pi
Lincoln
Best Costume Design
Anna Karenina
Les Misérables
Lincoln
Mirror Mirror
Snow White and the Huntsman
Best Makeup & Hairstyling
Hitchcock
The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey
Les Misérables
Best Visual Effects
The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey
Life of Pi
Marvel's The Avengers
Prometheus
Snow White and the Huntsman
Best Sound Mixing
Argo
Les Misérables
Life of Pi
Lincoln
Skyfall
Best Sound Editing
Argo
Django Unchained
Life of Pi
Skyfall
Zero Dark Thirty
Best Live Action Short
Asad
Buzkashi Boys
Curfew
Death of a Shadow (Dood Van Een Schaduw)
Henry
Best Documentary Short
Inocente
Kings Point
Mondays at Racine
Open Heart
Redemption
Best Animated Short
Adam and Dog
Fresh Guacamole
Head over Heels
The Longest Daycare
Paperman
Best Original Score
Anna Karenina
Argo
Life of Pi
Lincoln
Skyfall
Best Original Song
"Before My Time" from Chasing Ice
"Everybody Needs a Best Friend" from Ted
"Pi's Lullaby" from Life of Pi
"Skyfall" from Skyfall
"Suddenly" from Les Misérables
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