Award-winning novelist and screenwriter Ruth Prawer Jhabvala, author of Heat and Dust and many other books set in India, died on Wednesday at the age of 85, her Los Angeles agent said. Jhabvala died at her home in New York City, a spokesman for Hollywood agency Paradigm told Reuters. The spokesman did not give the cause of her death but said she had been sick for some time.

Jhabvala also worked on several movie adaptations with filmmakers James Ivory and Ismail Merchant, winning two Academy Awards for her screenplays for 1985 movie A Room With a View and Howards End in 1992. Jhabvala was born in Germany but emigrated with her family to Britain during the Nazi regime. She later married an Indian architect and moved to India, where she began to write about her life there.

Her novel Heat and Dust, a romance about a young woman living in India in the 1920s, won Britain's coveted Booker Prize in 1975, and was adapted for the big screen in 1983. Jhabvala collaborated with Merchant and Ivory on more than 20 movies including The Remains of the Day and Mr. And Mrs. Bridge.

Source: indianexpress

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Ben Affleck's Oscar acceptance speech, in which he thanked wife Jennifer Garner for "working on our marriage" and called their union "the best kind of work," got a lot of tongues wagging in Hollywood. But he wasn't hinting at trouble in paradise, and Garner herself wasn't offended, she says in a new interview with the Telegraph.

"I had a friend call and say, 'Are you OK?'" Garner says. But "I know Ben, I knew he meant it as the hugest, warmest compliment in the world. I think he was saying, 'Look, what we have is really real and I value it above all and I’m in it with you and I know you are in it with me.' That’s the way I took it.""Poor guy," she continues, reflecting on the speculation that ensued. "It’s so horrible to put yourself out there—he didn’t have to worry about it from my point of view." She also addresses the fact that her career has recently taken a backseat to her husband's. "I definitely work less because Ben is so busy, but we have three kids, that’s just part of the deal," she says. "I’m happy for him that he’s as energized about work right now as he is. He should be out there doing it. That’s just what makes sense for our family." Affleck is always encouraging her career, she says, but "for women, the high point of their career and needing to have babies just don’t really go together."

Source: newser

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THE Academy Awards gave Best Picture winner Argo a bump at the Australian box office, but the Oscars buzz did not translate into ticket sales for other films.

Director and star Ben Affleck’s drama - based on the true story of how a CIA agent smuggled hostages out of Iran under the guise of making a Hollywood sci-fi movie - added 29 screens after its Oscar win and rose 87 per cent from its previous weekend’s takings to move back up the box office chart to No.13. It had been on the way out of the chart after 19 weeks of release. Its post-Oscars tally has pushed its gross in Australia past $12 million.

Silver Linings Playbook - for which Jennifer Lawrence won Best Actress - stayed steady, dropping just 1 per cent from its previous weekend. It came in at No.2 for the weekend overall behind new release romantic comedy I Give it a Year, starring Australia’s Rose Byrne and Simon Baker.

Also holding near steady was Life of Pi (Best Director for Ang Lee), which added four screens and was only down eight per cent on the previous weekend.

Lincoln (Best Actor for Daniel Day-Lewis) dropped 22 per cent; Django Unchained (Best Supporting Actor for Christoph Waltz and Best Screenplay for Quentin Tarantino) was down 24 per cent. Les Miserables (Best Supporting Actress for Anne Hathaway) dropped 14 per cent and appears to have almost sung its last breath at the Aussie box office.

Source: couriermail

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Los Angeles: Actress Jennifer Lawrence, who won the best actress Oscar for her performance in ‘Silver Linings Playbook’, wants to celebrate her win by relaxing. "I see my couch. I see TV. I see a bottle of wine," contactmusic.com quoted Lawrence as saying.

However, the 22-year-old doesn`t have much time to unwind as she is due to fly back to Hawaii to film more scenes for ‘Catching Fire’, a sequel to ‘Hunger Games’. She recently revealed she prefers staying at home rather than having wild nights out. "I don`t like going out that much. I am kind of an old lady. After it`s 11 p.m., I am like, `Don`t these kids ever get tired?` When I am out, I think about my couch," she said.


IANS

Source: zeenews.india

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West Hollywood, Calif. — It was around midnight when Ben Affleck found his little brother, Casey, near the bar. Oscar in hand, Ben, the director of the best picture winner, “Argo,” horsed around with his brother, while a jazz trio played. They posed for a few selfies as their wives, Jennifer Garner and Summer Phoenix, looked on.

Ben made history by becoming only the fourth director to win the top prize without being nominated himself, and Casey, rooting for him, had watched it on his couch at home.

“It’s like the Super Bowl: it’s so much more comfortable, and you have a better view,” Casey said. But of course he came to the annual post-Oscar Vanity Fair party hosted by Graydon and Anna Carter at the Sunset Tower hotel, a valedictory must-stop for winners, near-winners, the beautiful people, their stunning and accomplished friends — really, anybody who’s anybody.

“It’s too crowded up there,” Penny Marshall said, as she sat by the entrance, eating an In-n-Out burger in a paper sleeve, the most popular snack in the wee hours here. She paused to greet Jamie Foxx (“I’ve known Jamie for years”) and delivered her assessment of gripes about the show’s host, Seth MacFarlane. “He did a joke about Lincoln and Booth and he says, ‘Too soon?’ ” she said. “Lighten up, people.”

Other comedians gave Mr. MacFarlane high marks for pulling off a tough gig. “It’s hard for me to judge something I would never be able to do,” said Seth Rogen, who watched the show at the magazine’s viewing party and contributed his own running commentary. (“I was shushed a couple of times,” he said.)

Quentin Tarantino had his own favorite moment, besides his win for best original screenplay. “There were other moments?” he said, adding: “I loved Adele’s song, it was really sexy. I loved that it wasn’t a belter, that it was this sexy, simmering, cinematic song.”

Mr. Tarantino was one of more than two dozen guests toting a little gold man; toward the end of the evening a banquette filled up with five Oscar winners, mostly from technical categories. “They’re, like, toasting with Oscars,” the actor Emile Hirsch said.

A pileup in the hallway included Helena Bonham Carter, Tim Burton and Anne Hathaway. “Congratulations,” Mr. Burton said, hugging Ms. Hathaway. “Beautiful, beautiful job.” Sally Field carried the train of her red Valentino gown in one hand and a mini-cupcake in another. Daniel Day-Lewis snuggled with his wife, Rebecca Miller, in a corner.

Sergey Brin, a founder of Google, and his wife, Anne Wojcicki, a biologist and entrepreneur, traversed the party wearing pairs of Google Glasses. They shot video as they walked around and let other guests try on the prototypes. “We’ve come a number of times, and no one ever wants to talk to us,” Ms. Wojcicki said. “Now we’re very popular.”

Ang Lee, the best director winner, arrived at 2 a.m. from a tropical-themed party hosted by Fox, the studio that released his “Life of Pi.” He said he wasn’t sure what he would be doing next. “Tonight I feel I reached the shore, with ‘Pi,’ ” he said. “I need a rest.”

Source: nytimes

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THE MOMENT Michelle Obama appeared at the Oscars, the surprise guest at the end of a long and listless night, a collective groan reportedly went through the Dolby Theater media room. On my East Coast couch, I felt the same dismay: Did they really have to go there?

Because everyone knew what was coming next. By Monday morning, the right-wing punditocracy had declared this a national tragedy: wholly inappropriate, brazenly political, proof that the White House is self-serving and elitist and in Hollywood’s pocket, or vice versa.

OK, deep breath. First of all, there is no great standard for “appropriate” at the Academy Awards (which, I suppose, is a defense of Seth MacFarlane as host). This is an evening for wealthy people to name-check their agents while modeling plastic surgery techniques. Beyonce could lip-synch here, and no one would care.

Besides, the first lady’s statement was so carefully vetted and depoliticized that it left nothing to actually criticize: Something about the arts being good and movies making us laugh and cry and inspiring our nation’s youth. Singer Shirley Bassey, warning young women about the dangers of rich, cold men, was twice as relevant and 10 times more exciting.


On the other hand, given the lack of an agenda to promote or political points to be won, the FLOTUS appearance seemed like unnecessary bait, proof that the White House has tone-deafness problems of its own.

It’s easy to see why the White House jumped when Oscar producers came calling. The billion-viewer platform was surely irresistible; Republicans have used it, too, when offered the chance. Ronald Reagan taped a message to the Oscars in 1981. Laura Bush had a cameo in an Oscar-telecast video in 2002.

Obama’s trouble was agreeing to be the highlight of the ceremony, the super-secret guest with the most important role in Hollywood’s Most Important Night.

It was an odd bad call for a woman who has proven surprisingly good at selling herself. Being first lady is a thankless job — you’re supposed to be substantive without projecting too much substance, powerful without projecting too much power — but Obama has managed, better than most, to harness the celebrity for her own purposes. She champions good causes (and, really, somone’s going to get upset about nutrition?). She champions fashion; US Weekly quickly reported that her Oscar dress was by Naeem Khan. She dishes with Rachael Ray about her midlife-crisis bangs and mom-dances with Jimmy Fallon.

Usually, she manages a nifty trick: Looking glamorous, but not distant. This is, in fact, the same trick the Oscar ceremony tries to pull off every year, but usually fails, because too many participants get caught up in their own hype. Someone is always going to wear an inappropriate dress or blather on too long about his greatness. Someone is going to coo, “It came true,” while cradling her Oscar at the podium, triggering the gag reflex across America.

And something predictably pious is going to happen in the end — as when Obama announced that this year’s top prize went to the movie about how Hollywood, teamed up with a hyper-competent US government, managed to save the world. (If Republicans ran Hollywood, the winner would have been the one about the miserable people in France.)

This would all be fine — “Argo” is good, art is art — but the Oscars always has to rub it in, patting Hollywood on the back for the goodness it projects into the world. On ABC’s red carpet show, a hostess asked Daniel Day Lewis if he still carried Lincoln in his heart.

Here’s what people don’t tend to ask on Oscar night: Why are so many movies filled with gratuitous gun violence? Why is the Hollywood elite still overwhelmingly white? Why do so many stars need Botox to sustain their careers?

Michelle Obama didn’t need to be a buzzkill at the Oscars. But the woman with a health-filled public policy agenda could stand to project a little distance. Instead, she had to parrot the self-congratulatory hype: that somehow the Best Picture nominees “prove that love can endure against all odds and transform our lives in the most surprising ways.”

Right. With her platform as first lady, Obama can do better. To impress the lingering skeptics in the public, she’d get more mileage doing “Ellen.” Or, better yet, “Family Guy.”

Source: bostonglobe

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It was Daniel Day-Lewis by a landslide for “Lincoln.”In a win that surprised no one, Day-Lewis took the lead actor for playing the nation’s 16th president in Steven Spielberg’s epic. Aside from this win, the film was largely overlooked at the 85th Academy Awards. It went into the evening with a dozen nominations — the most of any film. But it’s only won two, including production design.

Jennifer Lawrence continued her golden girl run, taking the lead actress Oscar for her performance as a neurotic widow in the romantic comedy “Silver Linings Playbook.”“This is nuts!” the 22-year-old said after the tripping on her way up to stairs to the stage at the Dolby Theatre. As if to help her on her way, many in the audience took to their feet to cheer her on. The win capped a stunning run through the awards season, during which she won nearly every award out there — the Golden Globe, the Screen Actors Guild Award, and more.

The win capped a stunning run through the awards season, during which she won nearly every award out there -- the Golden Globe, the Screen Actors Guild Award, and more. Meanwhile, “Life of Pi” continues to defy expectations. The fable-adventure about a young man and a tiger sharing a life raft after a ship wreck has earned nearly $600 million worldwide.

And now it has four Oscars to show for the leap of faith it took to bring the bestselling book to the big screen, including director for Ang Lee. “Thank you, movie god,” the Taiwanese filmmaker said as he collected his trophy and bowed before the standing, cheering audience. “Thank you for taking the leap with me,” he said to the executives at Fox who backed the costly, CGI-driven film.

Lee’s film headed into the awards with 11 nominations, including best picture and director. It’s won score for Mychael Danna, cinematography for Claudio Miranda and for its stunning visual effects. “Pi” marks his second Academy Award win as director. He took home the same honor seven years ago for “Brokeback Mountain.”

Quentin Tarantino won the Oscar for original screenplay for the controversial slave revenge western “Django Unchained.”The film, Tarantino’s biggest, went into the 85th Academy Awards with five nominations, including best film. It’s won two. Earlier, Christoph Waltz picked up a trophy for supporting actor for his role as a bounty hunter.

Tarantino said he was especially honored to win the screenplay Oscar this year because of the quality of the writing in both the original and adapted screenplay categories. “This is the year of the writer!” he exclaimed as he lifted the Oscar up high.

The film that had the most Oscar nominations — “Lincoln,” with 12 nods -- has been largely overlooked all evening. Steven Spielberg’s epic has  won only one trophy, for production design for Rick Carter and Jim Erickson. The film is up for best director, film, adapted screenplay, score and lead actor for Daniel Day Lewis.

“Les Miserables” leads the Oscar tally at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood. It went into the evening with eight nominations, including best film. It has picked up three Oscars, including for makeup and hairstyle and for sound mixing.

But the marquee win came for Anne Hathaway. “It came true!” she said as she collected her first Oscar, for supporting actress playing the tragic prostitute Fantine in “Les Miserables.”Hathaway had won the vast majority of awards this year, including the Golden Globe, the Screen Actors Guild Award and the BAFTA, which led to widespread predictions that she was the one to beat.

In other victories, Austria’s “Amour” was honored for foreign language film. The harrowing drama about an elderly married couple struggling to cope when the wife suffers a stroke is also nominated for four other Oscars, including best film, director and screenplay for Michael Haneke and actress Emmanuelle Riva. The ceremony has been marked by a number of standing ovations.

Singer Shirley Bassey, who made her Oscar debut Sunday night, received one for her performance of her classic 1965 hit “Goldfinger” during the ceremony’s celebration of 50 years of James Bond. The age-defying 76-year-old Welsh singer was appropriately decked out in a strapless, curve-hugging gold gown with matching full-length gloves.

The audience at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood also leaped to its feet for Oscar winner Jennifer Hudson, who performed her iconic number “And I’m Telling You I’m Not Going” from “Dreamgirls,” as well as for the cast for best picture nominee, “Les Miserables,” whose members performed several songs from the musical.

In other honors, the ceremony was marked by a rare tie — in the sound editing category. The Oscars went to “Zero Dark Thirty” and “Skyfall.”“Argo” has won two Oscars, for adapted screenplay for Chris Terrio and film editing for William Goldenberg. Disney’s “Paperman” won animated short, while Disney / Pixar’s “Brave” won animated feature film. Mark Andrews, one of “Brave’s” directors, wore a kilt onstage to accept the honor for the film, set in Scotland. Jacqueline Durran won costume design for the period romance “Anna Karenina.”

Live-action short went to “Curfew,” directed by Shawn Christensen. “Inocente,” directed by Sean Fine and Andrea Nix Fine, won documentary short subject. Director Malik Bendjelloul’s “Searching for Sugar Man,” about the quest to find out what happened to a 1970s singer named Rodriguez, won best documentary.

Host Seth MacFarlane did the impossible Sunday night as he kicked off the awards: He made Tommy Lee Jones smile. “It’s an honor that everyone else said no,” MacFarlane joked about being asked to host the show.

MacFarlane — and his raunchy sense of humor — was an edgy choice for the Oscars. And some of those fears came true. There was a song about boobs, jokes about Jews in Hollywood, cracks about Lincoln’s assassination and Latino accents, and talk of post-Oscars orgies – lines that had the audience groaning at times.

Source: latimes

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Seth MacFarlane who started off as Oscars host so confidently, has been looking increasingly uncomfortable. Perhaps he has been going through his Twitter feed?

The writer, director and actor, who is probably best known for creating the hit tv series Family Guy, MacFarlane has been getting completely panned on Twitter for a lame sense of humour, awkward jokes and stiff stage presence.  It’s like he’s trying to do the sweet-faced boy with a potty mouth, a male equivalent of Sarah Silverman. It isn’t working because he’s genuinely too bland.Macfarlane is completely bombing and Twitter is mincing no words in telling him exactly that.

“Our next presenter played a raging alcoholic in 28 Days,” announces Seth MacFarlane. “Which is quite a coincidence because I’m going to be playing one in about one-hour and 40-minutes .”

Given the reviews he is getting, Seth is not joking. He’s going to need that drink

Here are some of the tweets:

Page Six ? @PageSix
Drinking Game? Every time Seth MacFarlane makes an awkward joke #Oscars

Caitlin Kelly @atotalmonet
I want to punch Seth Macfarlane in the face. Repeatedly. I’ll be starting a Kickstarter campaign shortly. Help me live my dream.

Michael Ian Black ? @michaelianblack
“Well, WE thought you were great!” – Seth McFarlane’s family in about four hours.

kathy iandoli ‏@kath3000
This Oscars show would be so much better if Gloria Steinem showed up and shot Seth McFarlane in the penis.

Hari Kondabolu ‏@harikondabolu
Seth MacFarlane made fun of Salma Hayek’s accent, but many of us are going to sound silly when we need to speak Spanish in 30 years. #Oscars

S. Mitra Kalita ‏@mitrakalita
Wow this host wins the dumb white guy of the century award. He didn’t get the new-america-demographic memo, circa 2012 election?

Source: firstpost

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Los Angeles: The red carpet has been rolled out, the actors are all dressed in their prettiest/handsome-est best and the paparazzi are all clickety-click… Hollywood’s biggest night, the 85th Academy Awards – the Oscar Awards 2013 – is finally here!

This year, like every year, sees the best of the industry being honoured with the gold statuette. While Steven Spielberg’s ‘Lincoln’ is the film that has bagged the maximum number of nominations this time – a whopping 12 – Ang Lee’s ‘Life of Pi’ is close to it with a nomination count of 11.

And the Oscar goes to…

- Best Picture - Argo! George Clooney, Ben Affleck, Grant Heslov and Alan Arkin accept the award for 'Argo'.

- Michelle Obama - straight from the White House - presents the nominations for the Best Picture this year!

- Jack Nicholson to present the award for the Best Picture of the year.

- Best Actor - Daniel Day-Lewis for 'Lincoln'.

- Meryl Streep on the stage to present the Best Actor award. She had won the Best Actress' Oscar last year.

- Best Actress - Jennifer Lawrence for 'Silver Linings Playbook'.

- Jean Dujardin on the stage to present the next set of awards. 'The Artist' star had won the Best Actor Oscar last year.

- Ang Lee signs off with a 'Namaste'!

- Best Direction - Ang Lee for 'Life of Pi'.

- Jane Fonda and Michael Douglas to present the next set of awards.

- "This is the writers' year," says Quentin Tarantino in his acceptance speech.

- Best Writing - Original Screenplay - Quentin Tarantino for 'Django Unchained'.

- Best Writing - Adapted Screenplay - Chris Terrio for 'Argo'.

- Dustin Hoffman and Charlize Theron to present the next set of awards.

- Best Original Song - Adele for 'Skyfall'.

- Norah Jones performs 'Everbody needs a best friend' on the stage. The song has been nominated in the Best Original Song category.

- Best Original Score - Mychael Danna for 'Life of Pi'.

- The cast of 'Chicago' - Richard Gere, Catherine Zeta-Jones, Renee Zellweger and Queen Latifah to present the award for the Best Original Score.

- George Clooney on the stage - a tribute to the ones who left the world this year.

- Salma Hayek to present the next award: The Governors' Awards - The Honorary Oscars.

- Best Production Design - 'Lincoln' - Rick Carter (Production Design); Jim Erickson (Set Decoration).

- Daniel Radcliffe and Kristen Stewart to present the next awards... Harry Potter and Twilight together? Well.

- Nicole Kidman presents the next nominees for the Best Picture award - 'Django Unchained', 'Amour' and 'Silver Linings Playbook'.

- Jennifer Lawrence invites Adele on stage. 'Skyfall' in the amazing singer's amazing voice.

- Best Film Editing - William Goldenberg for 'Argo'.

- Sandra Bullock to present the next set of awards.

- "Someday in the not too distant future, the misfortunes of our times will only be found in stories." ~ Anne Hathaway's Oscar speech.

- Best Actress in a Supporting Role - Anne Hathaway for 'Les Miserables'.

- The legendary Christopher Plummer to present the next award.

- Best Sound Editing - A tie between Paul N.J. Ottosson for 'Zero Dark Thirty' and Per Hallberg and Karen Baker Landers for 'Skyfall. Mark Wahlberg and well... Ted present the awards!

- Best Sound Mixing - 'Les Misérables' - Andy Nelson, Mark Paterson and Simon Hayes.

- The cast of 'Les Miserables' present a musical performance on the stage.

- Best Foreign Language Film - 'Amour' – Austria.

- Jennifer Garner and Jessica Chastain are to present the next.

- Best Documentary - Feature - 'Searching for Sugar Man'.

- Ben Affleck to present the next set of awards.

- Liam Neeson on the stage now; introduces three films nominated in the Best Films category - 'Argo', 'Lincoln' and 'Zero Dark Thirty'.

- Best Documentary - Short Subject - 'Inocente'.

- Best Short Film - Live Action - Shawn Christensen for 'Curfew'.

- Shirley Bassy brings back memories of Sean Connery-esque James Bond.

- A look at the sights, sounds and the music of the past five decades of 007 - James Bond.

- The exquisite Halle Berry on stage now - Fifty Years of Bond!

- Best Make-Up and Hair Styling - Lisa Westcott and Julie Dartnell for 'Les Misérables'.

- Best Costume Design - Jacqueline Durran for Anna Karenina.

- Jennifer Aniston and Channing Tatum to present the next set of awards.

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

- Best Cinematography - Claudio Miranda for 'Life of Pi'. 'Life of Pi' bags its first award!

- Best Animated Feature Film - 'Brave', directed by Mark Andrews and Brenda Chapman.

- The award for the Best Short Film - Animated - John Kahrs for 'Paperman'.

- First up, the award for the Best Supporting Actor. Octavia Spencer presents the award to Christoph Waltz for 'Django Unchained'.

- A lot of music at the Oscars this year.

- Daniel Radcliffe and Joseph Gordon-Levitt join Seth MacFarlane on the stage now.

- Channing Tatum and Charlize Theron on the stage now. They perform on 'Just the way you look tonight'.

- MacFarlane pulls Ben Affleck's leg!

- A lot of films, music in films and a lot more - Oscars 2013!

- Seth MacFarlane cracks a joke on stage!

- And it begins!

- We're just a short while away from Hollywood's biggest night...

- Renee Zellweger in a gold gown on the red carpet!

- Daniel Day-Lewis on the red carpet now. Day-Lewis has been nominated in the Best Actor category for 'Lincoln'. The film is the most-nominated one this year - 12 nominations!

- Anne Hathaway in Prada - "Business in front, party in the back!"; clad in Tiffany accessories. The way this woman wears her short hair is absolutely admirable!

- George Clooney, with girlfriend Stacy Kiebler, looks superb... He's growing younger with every passing day! This year, Clooney has won himself his eighth Oscar nomination - a feat achieved only by Walt Disney so far.

- Adele might as well take away an award for being one of the best dressed on the red carpet - in a 15 kilo dress! The singer has been nominated in the Original Song category for her 'Skyfall' number.

- Halle Berry looks fabulous in a Versace - as a 'Bond Girl'!

- Jennifer Garner's Gucci outfit is another of those jaw-dropping ones on the Red Carpet this year!

- Jennifer Aniston's red "Princess-y" (okay, this is Aniston's own word!) dress is a complete stunner!

- Amanda Seyfried, Jessica Chastain and Jennifer Lawrence - among the best dressed on the red carpet!

- Hugh Jackman just picked the woman speaking to her up! The actor graced the red carpet with his wife Deborra-lee Furness by his side. Jackman has won himself a nomination in the Best Actor category this year for his performance in 'Les Miserables'.

- Charlize Theron is all white on the red carpet - in a Dior creation!

- Nicole Kidman, one of the presenters of the night, looks absolutely gorgeous in her black and gold ensemble. Kidman is with husband Keith Urban.

- Bradley Cooper... gasp! The actor, looking drop-down handsome, has been nominated in the Best Actor category for his role in 'Silver Linings Playbook'. And in case you were wondering who Cooper would be seen with on the red carpet, it's his mother - Brad's date for the night!

- On the other side, Joseph Gordon-Levitt is oozing oodles of charm!

- Reese Witherspoon - a vision in blue - every bit so!

Source: zeenews.india

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The Academy Awards voting process is a long, complicated and secretive one, involving almost 6,000 voting members of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences in up to 25 categories. We'll find out what the Academy thought of this year's film crop on Sunday. But right now, we want to know your picks for the 2013 Oscars' biggest awards -- and we'll make the voting process simple.

Check out the list of nominees below in these five categories: Best Picture, Best Actor, Best Actress, Best Actor in a Supporting Role and Best Actress in a Supporting Role. (Also see what film critic Stephen Whitty has to say about them). Then, cast your votes on Twitter: Simply tweet the names of the folks or films you support, along with the hashtag #myoscarvote.

Source: nj

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