Michelle Williams is someone who seems to have planned her entire career in contravention of Hollywood’s usual code for beautiful young actresses: from her taste in offbeat indie projects to her shy public demeanor and pixie-ish styling, she’s pretty much the anti-ingenue, and the last person you’d expect to be the subject of a raunchy lad’s-mag photo shoot. Which is partly why her casting as a publicity-fed sex symbol like Marilyn Monroe is so counter-intuitively effective, as is this eye-opening QG profile, in which she further channels the star by stripping down to her underwear and posing up a storm. An ingenious ploy by Harvey Weinstein? Her own initiative? Either way, it’s getting the Best Actress hopeful attention at just the right time, and for those who do read the accompanying interview, she comes off as smart and engaging. Well played. [GQ] 

No BAFTA snub yesterday prompted more online outrage than “Tyrannosaur” star Olivia Colman missing out on a Best Actress nod. Even Jamie Bell’s mad. [Radio Times]

Ricky Gervais claims he’s done with hosting the Globes. After Sunday’s pancake-flat performance, I don’t hear anyone complaining. [Reuters]

Nobody makes simple Oscar prediction pieces more entertaining than Mark Harris. He offers his best guesses in the supporting races. [Grantland]

Mychal Denzel Smith wishes the Academy would challenge Hollywood’s view of black society by picking “Pariah” over “The Help.” [The Guardian]

Speaking of which, Best Supporting Actress frontrunner Octavia Spencer wants more roles where she’s “not just a sassy black woman.” [Los Angeles Times]

Robert W. Wood gives an economist’s view of the Golden Globe gift bags, which included swag from such luxury brands as Swarovski, Lacoste… and CheeCha Puffs. [Forbes]

David Poland sits down with the makers of documentary Oscar hopefuls “Undefeated” and “Paradise Lost 3.” [Hot Blog]

Some cinema patrons have demanded refunds after discovering “The Artist” is a silent film. In other news, the woman who sued the makers of “Drive” is no longer the world’s stupidest moviegoer. [The Telegraph]

It was a nice change of pace interlude this evening, even if it was ultimately awards related in some way.

“War Horse” may be the World War I film currently in cinemas stirring awards talk throughout the season, and “The Artist” might be the black and white silent film leading the charge in this year’s Best Picture race, but for two evenings at the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences on Wilshire Blvd. in Beverly Hills, William A. Wellman is stealing some of Steven Spielberg and Michel Hazanavicius’ spotlight.

Wellman’s silent, black and white, 1927 Best Picture-winning WWI epic “Wings” has been fully restored in a partnership between Paramount Pictures (this year celebrating its 100th anniversary), the Academy’s Film Archive and Technicolor. It was unveiled this evening at the Academy in the first of two screenings this week as part of the studio’s centenary and the film’s (as well as the Academy’s) 85th anniversary in advance of a January 24 Blu-ray release.

Tom Sherak took to the stage at the Samuel Goldwyn Theater after some technical difficulties to greet attendees. He moved to a pedestal holding something shrouded in a velvet cover. “Ladies and gentleman, I give you the Oscar ‘Wings’ won for Best Picture,” he said as he removed the shroud. “Oohs” and “ahhs” naturally ensued.

Sherak invited Paramount CEO Brad Grey on stage after the usual Academy fluff and puff (don’t read that as disrespect, it’s just, what can you say about it?). Grey mentioned that Carl Reiner was in the crowd, who himself saw “Wings” in its initial run while growing up in the Bronx. “Did anyone else here see the film in its first run,” Grey asked. After no hands went up, he quipped, “You win, Carl.”

Grey then announced that he’d like to present the Academy with J.S. Zamecnik’s original score and cue sheets for the film (without, I believe, even invoking the composer’s name) and passed along to Sherak a thick black binding containing the material.

Next it was on to William A. Wellman, Jr., son of the legendary director who ushered the $2 million film to the screen. Wellman’s father was a 20-something wet-behind-the-ears director in Paramount’s stable when he was suggested for the gig of helming “Wings.” When asked why he thought he could do a better job than any of the seasoned vets in the Paramount stable he pointed to his war record, with the special “Wild Bill” touch of noting that he’d make “the greatest God damned picture the studio has produced,” or words to that effect.

Indeed, “Wings” was a special picture at the time, because no one had depicted “the great war of the skies,” the aerial dogfights that were WWI’s unique contribution to warfare. The crew had to invent the technology necessary to capture the aerial footage, and much of it is harrowing to this day. With a crystal clear restoration, the practical effects work of the various sky battles and airplane crashes (many of them real) make a strong argument for that second Oscar “Wings” won (the only other one for which it was nominated): Best Engineering Effects.

A stencil color technique known as the Handschiegl process was used on the film to accentuate gunfire and flames, and that tinting survives. Film preservationist and historian Kevin Brownlow played a key role in the restoration. You’ll recall he was tapped by the Academy to receive an Honorary Oscar at 2010’s Governors Awards. And Clara Bow is as beautiful as ever, her chestnut eyes sparkling in contrast to her light visage.

Plus, having organist Clark Wilson offer up live musical accompaniment with 21st century technology employed to recreate the organ sound of the period the film was released was a wonderful touch, even if it meant the newly re-recorded score for the film didn’t get some of the spotlight.

“Wings” was the “Star Wars” of its day, as Sherak said. It had a then-astronomical price tag and was a huge success. It played in first-run theaters for two years, had some sound integrated later, and was released yet again in first-run theaters. It was magic at a time when the Academy, which last Wednesday quietly celebrated the 85th anniversary of the day a brain trust willed it into existence, was in its infancy. And it was a natural fit for a Best Picture Oscar win.

However, I always feel that it’s unfair to assume it holds that designation exclusively, as F.W. Murnau’s masterpiece “Sunrise: A Song of Two Humans” won the award for Best Picture, Unique and Artistic Production, and deserves to be spoken in that same breath.

In any case, it’s a beautiful restoration and a great way to kick off the 100th anniversary celebration of Paramount Pictures. Later this year, Universal Pictures will be celebrating its own centenary and has announced a swath of restorations to coincide with the occasion.

2012 is going to be a good year to be a classic movie lover.

“Wings” will screen once more at the Academy tomorrow night. Tickets are still available at Oscars.org. The film will hit Blu-ray on January 24.

For year-round entertainment news and awards season commentary follow @kristapley on Twitter.

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Tomorrow brings the first major cull in what is almost annually the most exasperating of Oscar races, Best Foreign Language Film. As has become the new custom, a shortlist of nine titles will be announced in the morning — six of them voted on by the collected members of the foreign-language branch, with a further three added by a select committee to rectify the larger group’s blind spots.

It is never confirmed which are which, though it can be rather easy to tell: there were no prizes last year for guessing that Greece’s critically adored but thematically dangerous “Dogtooth” was a minority pick rescued by the committee to add cred to the Academy’s roster. It’s an imperfect system, but still preferable to the previous one, which regularly raised howls of critical anguish as such films as “City of God” and “4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days” failed even to crack the pre-nomination shortlist.

The committee itself can be pretty wily in their choices — eyebrows were raised when they failed to rescue favorites like “Gomorrah” and “Of Gods and Men” recently — and still can’t do anything about the Academy’s final (and dependably milquetoast) choice of winner, but they’re pushing more adventurous titles into the conversation, and for that, one can hardly be ungrateful.

Under the old system, the very idea of Bela Tarr’s almost comically severe death-and-potatoes opus “The Turin Horse” making the shortlist would have been hilarious; now, you can’t help but consider it –wondering how far the committee is willing to push their luck by making prospective voters sit through it all over again. Not quite that far, I still suspect, but it remains a tantalizing possibility.  

Other far-out options the committee could challenge the branch with include Nuri Bilge Ceylan’s Cannes Grand Prix winner “Once Upon a Time in Anatolia” — Ceylan’s last film, “Three Monkeys” made the shortlist, but this cryptic, molasses-paced procedural will prove an endurance test for many — and South Africa’s “Beauty,” an exquisitely observed study of repressed identity with frank gay sexual content that more conservative branch members might struggle with. Both are long shots; neither should be dismissed out of hand.

It seems likelier, however, that the executive committee will use their power to benefit critical causes with more crossover potential. Mexico’s “Miss Bala,” a pulsating, sobering drug-trade thriller that made my personal 2011 top 20, has won raves on the festival circuit and would make a handsome nominee, but might have proved too grimly violent for general voters — an executive-committee save would help an already talked-about film build further momentum. Also on the genre side of things, Brazilian actioner “Elite Squad 2” has critics in its corner but might prove too pulpy for many voters — I somewhat doubt the committee is going to plump for a sequel to a film most voters won’t have seen, but never say never.

An even likelier wild card, perhaps, is Belgium’s “Bullhead,” a dark drama about corruption in the cattle trade that has gathered slow but steady buzz on the festival circuit — it recently won Best Actor at Palm Springs, and took an audience award at the AFI Fest in November. I have yet to see the film, but have had a hunch about it for some time now.

Of course, the executive committee needn’t only save dark or subversive films: it’s impossible to say which seemingly sure-fire favorites might slip through the net in the initial vote. Kris has even heard rumors that intricate Iranian marital drama “A Separation” — the title most pundits are predicting for the win after steamrolling through the precursors thus far — may actually need extra help getting to the shortlist. By hook or by crook, however, it’s the one film certain to show up tomorrow.

I feel strangely confident about Germany’s 3D dance doc “Pina,” even if there’s no precedent for the Academy nominating anything like it before: “Waltz With Bashir” may have broken the documentary barrier in the category three years ago, but Wim Wenders’s non-narrative performance study is an even bolder proposition. (See my interview with Wenders here.) Still, this novelty factor, bolstered by breathless reviews, is ultimately what I expect the committee to find irresistible about it, should its visual and aural wonders not wow enough voters in the first place.

Beyond that, it’s mostly guesswork: I try to ignore reports of what played well at screenings (Italy’s “The First Beautiful Thing” was said to be a sure thing after a warm reception at its Academy screening last year, and was nowhere to be seen on the shortlist), though I’ve heard enough glowing first-hand reactions to an apparent crowdpleaser like Danish comedy “SuperClasico” to take a punt on it, even if I haven’t yet seen the film.

Meanwhile, I’ve had a sinking feeling since Cannes that Israeli comedy of letters “Footnote,” which I didn’t take to, would score here, and there’s no reason to change my mind: director Joseph Cedar was previously nominated here for “Beaufort,” the country has scored three nominations in the past four years and the film curiously netted a Spirit Award earlier in the season for Best Screenplay (an award it also won at Cannes).

Picking nine films from over 60 possibilities is inevitably something of a crapshoot, so the more specific challenge is to predict which seemingly well-positioned films will be surprisingly omitted, even with the executive committee’s grace. The law of numbers alone decrees that there will always be a couple, and I’m taking a few blind risks with my guesses: it’s probably not wise to leave out the sprightly Lebanese feminist musical-comedy “Where Do We Go Now?,” but the film hasn’t built as much buzz as might have been expected from its shock Toronto Audience Award win, and I wonder if its eccentric tonal lurches will be to the voters’ taste. (Also, unfair as it sounds: with “A Separation” in the mix, might they deem the Middle East sufficiently represented?)

I’m also probably being wildly stupid in predicting a snub for Finland’s “Le Havre,” which has been charming critics since its Cannes debut: a gentle nostalgia piece touching on contemporary race and immigration issues, directed by an esteemed former nominee in Aki Kaurismaki, and featuring both a doe-eyed kid and a cute dog, it ticks so many Academy boxes that I’m already wondering why I’m writing this. But the film was also considered a shoo-in for awards on the Croisette and left empty-handed. I went out on a limb in predicting a miss for the seemingly infallible “Of Gods and Men” last year; I’m trusting whatever inscrutable instincts I followed then.

Sorry, that was a lot of talk. The nine titles I’m predicting to show up on tomorrow’s shortlist are:

“Bullhead,” Belgium

“Monsieur Lazhar,” Canada

“SuperClasico,” Denmark

“Declaration of War,” France

“Pina,” Germany

“Footnote,” Israel

“A Separation,” Iran

“Miss Bala,” Mexico

“In Darkness,” Poland

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The Georgia Film Critics’ Association distinguished themselves from the back last week with a fresh and considered list of nominees — and their winners, announced earlier today, are no less intriguing. I can’t think of another critics’ group on the circuit that has fallen quite so hard for “The Tree of Life”: Terrence Malick’s intimate epic took six awards, including Best Picture and Director, as well as both supporting prizes for Jessica Chastain and Brad Pitt. (It wasn’t Pitt’s only win from the Peach State — he also took Best Actor for “Moneyball.”)

Meanwhile, they forever earned my affection by becoming the first critics ‘group to hand Best Actress to Juliette Binoche for “Certified Copy,” which also won Best Foreign Language Film. In the relentless grind of paint-by-numbers precursors, even the smallest victories are sweet. Also, it’s about bloody time “Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy” won an ensemble award. Good work, guys. Full list of winners after the jump. 

Best Picture: “The Tree of Life”

Best Director: Terrence Malick, “The Tree of Life”

Best Actress: Juliette Binoche, “Certified Copy”

Best Actor: Brad Pitt, “Moneyball”

Best Supporting Actress: Jessica Chastain, “The Tree of Life”

Best Supporting Actor: Brad Pitt, “The Tree of Life”

Best Original Screenplay: Woody Allen, “Midnight in Paris”

Best Adapted Screenplay: Steven Zaillian and Aaron Sorkin, “Moneyball”

Best Foreign Language Film: “Certified Copy”

Best Animated Film: “The Adventures of Tintin”

Best Documentary: “Senna”

Best Ensemble: “Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy”

Best Cinematography: Emmanuel Lubezki, “The Tree of Life”

Best Art Direction: Jack Fisk, “The Tree of Life”

Best Original Score: John Williams, “War Horse”

Best Original Song: Bret McKenzie, “Man or Muppet,” “The Muppets” 

Breakthrough Award: Jessica Chastain

Excellence in Georgia Cinema: “Sahkanaga” 

Remember to keep track of the ups and downs of the 2011-2012 film awards season via The Circuit. 

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As I discussed this morning, the few instances where the BAFTA nominations — voted on by the collected membership — part ways with the top five choices of the category’s relevant branch don’t always reflect very well on the awards’ voting system. “The Iron Lady” over “Young Adult” for Best Original Screenplay? “War Horse” over “Drive” for Best Cinematography (and over “Transformers: Dark of the Moon” for Best Visual Effects)? Jim Broadbent over, well, anyone for Best Supporting Actor? I’m unconvinced.

One area, however, where BAFTA at large did well to overrule the chapter vote was in Best Costume Design: where the costumers plumped for the lavish but rote Elizabethan rufflery of “Anonymous,” the general voters jumped forward a few centuries to nominate “Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy” instead. Put it down to a sweep mentality if you like — the film did score 11 nominations, after all — but that strikes me as a particularly astute pick nonetheless.

Her film résumé may be short, but Jacqueline Durran is rapidly proving herself one of the deftest costume designers in the business. Oscar-nominated for the muddied period finery of “Pride and Prejudice” and that green dress (among other items) in “Atonement,” she’s equally adept in contemporary settings — for my money, her character-defining thrift-store ensembles in Mike Leigh’s “Happy-Go-Lucky” were no less deserving of awards notice. In “Tinker, Tailor,” she’s hovering somewhere between those period and contemporary modes, and brings her gifts in both areas to the table.

Male-dominated films tend to get short shrift in costume awards citations, as do films set in the style-challenged heart of the 1970s — though “Milk” recently bucked the trend with a deserved but uncharacteristic Oscar nod for its unglamorous jeans-and-polyester-suits wardrobe. “Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy” is far more elegantly dressed than that film: it’s a veritable runway show of English sartorial custom, all decked out for the rain in splendidly drab autumnal hues, though I’m sure some voters will look at it and see just a bunch of guys in suits. 

Watching the film again recently, however, I was struck by just how textured and varied Durran’s work is within that seemingly narrow dress code: the suit may be a uniform of sorts for most of the film’s characters, but that doesn’t mean it can’t express an awful lot about individual personality and status.

The difference between the rigidly tailored brown three-piece (accessorized with a too-bright royal-blue tie and matching pocket square) worn by young, uptight closeted homosexual Peter Guillam (Benedict Cumberbatch), the fussily overworked, over-detailed shirts and bow-ties of insecure foreigner Esterhase (Devid Dencik) and the loungier, more generously cut jackets (accessorized with ostentatiously casual desert boots) of Colin Firth’s deceptively safe-in-his-skin Bill Haydon speaks volumes about generational and political tensions, aspirations and mini-hierarchies within MI6, with Gary Oldman’s Smiley the more seasoned, more soberly plain-suited observer in the middle.

And that’s before you get to the shaggily self-admiring, tight-trousered leisurewear of Tom Hardy’s rogue agent Ricki Tarr, operating simultaneously as both mating call and mask, or the crucial costuming choice of Smiley’s signature glasses — two contrasting pairs (one delicately horn-rimmed, the other face-consumingly chunky)  that both keep the film’s shifting chronology in check and underline the transition in eras that colors the entire narrative.

It’s supremely intelligent, often slyly witty, work by Durran that also melts beautifully into the shadowy, tea-stained aesthetic of Hoyte van Hoytema’s lensing and Maria Djurkovic’s intricate production design. Both the latter achievements have been Guild-nominated — it’d be lovely to see Durran complete the set. This was all on my mind even before I saw this interesting short interview with Durran on men’s style website Kempt, in which she explains her rationale behind a number of the film’s key wardrobe pieces and reveals just how little she had to work with in terms of direct historical illustration: 

“Well, because of security, there are no actual photos of MI6 agents. So what we did was we looked at people in similar professions. We looked at politicians, and the whole range of upper-middle-class British society. Anyone who came from the same background or went to the same universities. We also had notes from a couple of people who had worked at MI6 in the “70s. They said people went for style statements, ones that were just on the edge of being acceptable in that straight English middle-class world. One of the notes we got was that one of the real-life characters wore an orange suede desert boot. So we decided to give those to Bill Haydon.”

She also explains the Steve McQueen inspiration behind Hardy’s getups, and how Oldman found his own glasses in Pasadena. Nice work all round. Fingers crossed the Guild and Academy take notice. 

For more views on movies, awards season and other pursuits, follow @GuyLodge on Twitter.

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With this year’s Sundance Film Festival two days away, Tom Brueggemann observes that very few films in the lineup already have confirmed distribution deals — and thinks last year’s underperforming crop has something to do with it. While many recent breakout hits of previous fests have gone on to sleeper commercial success and/or Oscar glory, last year’s Sundance sensations have struggled: even with glowing reviews, despite landing powerful distributors, the likes of “Martha Marcy May Marlene,” “Like Crazy” and “Take Shelter” haven’t caught fire with audiences or awards voters thus far. As Brueggemann reports it, even the biggest commercial success from last year’s group, the Weinsteins’ “Our Idiot Brother,” was an underperformer. What gives? [Thompson on Hollywood]

Carey Mulligan, a BAFTA nominee this morning, talks “Shame” and seagull tattoos with Kira Cochrane. [The Guardian]

Michael Cieply talks to Baz Luhrmann about bringing 3D to the Jazz Age in “The Great Gatsby.” [New York Times]

I haven’t yet seen documentary Oscar hopeful “Paradise Lost 3: Purgatory,” but this Matt Zoller Seitz piece on it makes me impatient to do so. [Vulture]

Glenn Whipp reviews how this year’s Globe winners enhanced their Oscar chances with their acceptance speeches: Streep, Clooney, Dujardin and Spencer all get the nod of approval. [Los Angeles Times]

Slighted by ASC, awarded by the BFCA and nominated by BAFTA, what do we make of “War Horse” DP Janusz Kaminski’s Oscar odds? He talks to Jack Egan. [Below the Line]

There are many things Roger Ebert is great at. Predicting the Oscars is not one of them. “Rise of the Planet of the Apes” and “Take Shelter” for Best Picture? Good luck, sir. [Chicago Sun-Times]

Elton John’s husband (and “Gnomeo and Juliet” producer) David Furnish is royally pissed off about Madonna’s Golden Globe win. I’d be more sympathetic if John’s song were any good. [THR]

Finally, there may have been disappointment for Potterphiles in this morning’s BAFTA nominations, but Daniel Radcliffe’s just thrilled Gary Oldman made the cut. [Metro]

As ever with their nominations announcement, BAFTA giveth, and BAFTA taketh away. Excited to see “Drive” up for Best Film and Best Director? Sure, but in return we have to accept Jim Broadbent nominated, ahead of Albert Brooks, for a career-worst performance in “The Iron Lady,” which also somehow copped a Best Original Screenplay nod. (Despite this showing, the film mercifully didn’t crack their Best British Film lineup.)

Glad to see a strong showing at last for “Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy?” Yes, but the flipside of that is zero nominations for “The Tree of Life” — no, not even a cinematography nod for Emmanuel Lubezki. Even when trying to anticipate the Oscar race, BAFTA remain a law unto themselves — which can be as exasperating as it is occasionally rewarding.

The frontrunners, of course, could have been spotted from space. Oscar favorite “The Artist” naturally leads the way with 12 nominations — the (mostly) silent film scored even in the Best Sound category — while British loyalty netted an impressive 11 nods for domestic hit “Tinker, Tailor.” The two will fight it out for the top award, though with the latter primed for the consolation prize of Best British Film, I think we know how this is going to go.

The Best Film category is rounded out with “The Descendants,” “The Help” and, in their most independent and adventurous move, the aforementioned “Drive.” “The Help” is perhaps the most surprising of these, given that the distinctly Yank-flavored film didn’t do much business in the UK, and that its slot comes at the expense of “Hugo,” which nonetheless scored nine nominations, including a Best Director bid for this year’s BAFTA Fellowship honoree, Martin Scorsese. You know what I’ve been saying about “The Help” invisibly picking up momentum in the Best Picture race? There’s your evidence.

As usual, the nominations hewed closely to the chapter selections marked in the longlists — and where the votes of the general membership did diverge from those of the relevant chapter, it wasn’t generally for the better. Eddie Marsan out of Best Supporting Actor, Broadbent in. “Young Adult” out of Best Original Screenplay, “The Iron Lady” in. “Drive” out of Best Cinematography, “War Horse” in. Some other replacements are welcome ones, but for the most part, one wonders why BAFTA doesn’t just leave it to the supposed experts.

If you’re surprised to see Carey Mulligan mentioned in the Best Supporting Actress category for “Drive” rather than “Shame” — in what other list would the British ingenue emerge as the only acting nominee from Nicolas Winding Refn’s film? — bear in mind that she was longlisted as a lead in the latter. BAFTA also overruled campaign categorization in the case of “The Artist” star Bérénice Bejo, correctly deeming her a lead — she scores a Best Actress nomination, which does little to clarify the Oscar picture in that category. (Before Glenn Close’s detractors pop the champagne, remember that “Albert Nobbs,” which is still without UK distribution, wasn’t eligible.)

Anything else? Well, the Brits clearly aren’t buying this year’s Americans in Paris quite as wholesale as voters across the pond — in addition to “Hugo” missing out in the top race, “Midnight in Paris” scored a solitary Original Screenplay nod. And they’re only half-sold on “The Descendants”: the Golden Globe winner had enough residual heat for three nods, including Best Film, but is missing from the Best Director and Best Supporting Actress categories. (Joining Scorsese at the lone-director table, in one of the morning’s most thrilling nominations, is Lynne Ramsay for “We Need to Talk About Kevin.”) 

Another film that didn’t do nearly as well with the Brits as it has with US Guild voters is David Fincher’s “The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo.” Last year, the Swedish original nagged Actress and Adapted Screenplay nominations, in addition to snagging Best Foreign Language Film; by contrast, the remake managed only a pair of technical nods. I can’t help wondering if the Academy’s response on Oscar nomination morning might be similarly deflating.

Anyway, I’ll leave you to pick through the full list of nominees below. The awards will be handed out on February 12 in London.

Best Film
“The Artist”
“The Descendants”
“Drive”
“The Help”
“Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy”

Best British Film
“My Week With Marilyn”
“Senna”
“Shame”
“Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy”
“We Need to Talk About Kevin”

Best Director
Michel Hazanavicius, “The Artist”
Nicolas Winding Refn, “Drive”
Martin Scorsese, “Hugo”
Tomas Alfredson, “Tinker, Tailor, Soldier Spy”
Lynne Ramsay, “We Need to Talk About Kevin”

Best Actor
George Clooney, “The Descendants”
Jean Dujardin, “The Artist”
Michael Fassbender, “Shame”
Gary Oldman. “Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy”
Brad Pitt, “Moneyball”

Best Actress
Bérénice Bejo, “The Artist”
Viola Davis, “The Help”
Meryl Streep, “The Iron Lady”
Tilda Swinton, “We Need to Talk About Kevin”
Michelle Williams, “My Week With Marilyn”

Best Supporting Actor
Kenneth Branagh, “My Week With Marilyn”
Jim Broadbent, “The Iron Lady”
Jonah Hill, “Moneyball”
Philip Seymour Hoffman, “The Ides of March”
Christopher Plummer, “Beginners”

Best Supporting Actress
Jessica Chastain, “The Help”
Judi Dench, “My Week With Marilyn”
Melissa McCarthy, “Bridesmaids”
Carey Mulligan, “Drive”
Octavia Spencer, “The Help”

Best Original Screenplay
“The Artist”
“Bridesmaids”
“The Guard”
“The Iron Lady”
“Midnight in Paris”

Best Adapted Screenplay
“The Descendants”
“The Help”
“The Ides of March”
“Moneyball”
“Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy”

Best Foreign Language Film
“Incendies”
“Pina”
“Potiche”
“A Separation”
“The Skin I Live In”

Best Documentary
“George Harrison: Living in the Material World”
“Project Nim”
“Senna”

Best Animated Feature
“The Adventures of Tintin”
“Arthur Christmas”
“Rango”

Best Art Direction
“The Artist”
“Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2”
“Hugo”
“Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy”
“War Horse”

Best Cinematography
“The Artist”
“The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo”
“Hugo”
“Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy”
“War Horse”

Best Costume Design
“The Artist”
“Hugo”
“Jane Eyre”
“My Week With Marilyn”
“Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy”

Best Film Editing
“The Artist”
“Drive”
“Hugo”
“Senna”
“Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy”

Best Makeup & Hair
“The Artist”
“Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2”
“Hugo”
“The Iron Lady”
“My Week With Marilyn”

Best Music
“The Artist”
“The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo”
“Hugo”
“Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy”
“War Horse”

Best Sound
“The Artist”
“Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2”
“Hugo”
“Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy”
“War Horse”

Best Visual Effects
“The Adventures of Tintin”
“Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2”
“Hugo”
“Rise of the Planet of the Apes”
“War Horse”

Best Debut by a British Director, Writer or Producer
Joe Cornish, “Attack the Block”
Will Sharpe, Tom Kingsley and Sarah Brocklehurst, “Black Pond”
Ralph Fiennes, “Coriolanus”
Richard Ayoade, “Submarine”
Paddy Considine, “Tyrannosaur” 

Remember to keep track of the ups and downs of the 2011-2012 film awards season via The Circuit. 

For more views on movies, awards season and other pursuits, follow @GuyLodge on Twitter.

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With the Golden Globes a memory and the announcement of this year”s Oscar nominations on January 24 just on the horizon, perhaps it’s time to take a bit of the piss out of awards season. The validity of certain awards shows and organizations aside, it is an incredible professional accomplishment to be included in the hunt at all. It speaks to a level of success that most only dream of in a profoundly competitive industry. At the same time, perspective is often in order.

I have worked in entertainment for my entire adult life and have as great a passion for film today as I did in the throes of dreamy youth. No one”s feeding babies here, however. Even in an arena as large as the one the artists under discussion here dwell in, it”s important to have at least some measure of humor and ability to self-deprecate to season the inevitable neurosis that comes with working in a creative field

Anna Paquin demonstrated a remarkable sense of honesty about the more vainglorious aspects of an actor”s process during our recent discussion on Kenneth Lonergan’s “Margaret.” The actress delivers one of the most nuanced and rich performances of her career, and yet she confesses that she is unable to see the forest of her stunning portrayal for the trees of what she deems to be her awkward mannerisms.

“I was watching it recently with curiosity and that abject loathing that comes every time I see something I”ve done on screen,” she told me (an aside I didn’t include in the original piece). “I think any actor, if they”re honest, can pick apart any given moment that ends up on screen and be like, ‘Ah, I really wish that I”d done that, or that they”d used the take where I did that or that I didn”t make that facial expression.” It”s part of the vapid narcissism of my job. You completely lose yourself in some character and do something that is wildly unflattering on screen and feel totally fine about it until you watch it.”

Celebrity is a strange and (for most of us) incomprehensible way to experience reality. It, in some respects, locks a person into a by-default childish state (this is particularly true for actors who are treated as cherished toddlers on most film sets). It also carries with it, I would imagine, some measure of paranoia and a distinct amount of (earned or unearned) influence.

But we must imagine that many actors and filmmakers, even several of the greats, do covet the feel of golden statues in their hands and the warm lights and eyes on their faces as they accept them. They’re people. Sally Field’s famous “you like me, right now, you like me!” cry is the id of it all coming to the fore.

For an example of two great performers’ dalliance with honors, take a look at the video below, which features Carol Kane channeling Carol Channing and Mario Cantone channeling Lauren Bacall as they read excerpts of the two legendary actress’s respective autobiographies that concern the build up to and emotional impact of a Tony Award nomination and win. Loving and comedic homage is paid to the vanity and insanity that is inherently part and parcel of the life of an actor and awards season.

For year-round entertainment news and commentary follow @JRothC on Twitter.

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I’m not bothering to predict the BAFTA nominations this year because 1) the longlists largely take the guesswork out of that for us; 2) no voting group that thinks “Midnight in Paris” had better visual effects than “The Tree of Life” deserves too much of our time and attention; and 3) I mean, seriously. But anyway, they’re a few hours away — a breakfast-time announcement for the Brits, a pre-midnight one for Hollywood — and if you have any last-minute thoughts, hopes or projections about the British Academy’s selections, here’s the place for them.

One thing we can be certain of: after struggling to gain traction on the US precursor circuit, “Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy,” which jointly led the longlists with 16 mentions, will finally receive a warm embrace here. The combination of literary cache, old-and-new-school British acting elite and spectacular box-office should set it up as the chief BAFTA rival to all-purpose frontrunner “The Artist,” which can also expect a bucketload of nominations.

Less certain is whether the rather more surprising longlist co-leader, “My Week With Marilyn,” can also score in the top categories: the film may not be the most fashionable or heavily-buzzed choice, but I sense there’s rather a lot of support for it in the more conversative, even television-oriented, reaches of BAFTA; don’t be surprised if it displaces a less outwardly Brit-friendly Oscar favorite like “The Descendants” or “Midnight in Paris.”

Anyway, more on this in a few hours. Refresh your memory with the longlists here. 

As of Friday, phase one of this year’s Oscar season has drawn to a close. Ballots were due by 5pm and it’s pencils down, the music has stopped, whatever metaphor you want to apply. And the period of December 27 – January 13 was crucial for films looking to grab a last-minute foothold and those hoping to maintain dominance alike.

During that frame, the image to the left of actress Anna Paquin was bravely showcased on the cover of LA Weekly, Los Angeles’s ubiquitous alt-weekly publication, to promote the outlet’s choice of Kenneth Lonergan’s “Margaret” for the year’s best film. Voters out and about on their daily routines surely walked past any number of magazine stands and newspaper racks displaying the issue.

Meanwhile, in a very last-minute bit of campaigning, Paquin and Lonergan were both made available for press opportunities, which we of course seized here at In Contention. But not every outlet has the luxury of scheduling pieces like that on the fly.

It would of course have been more ideal had these opportunities arisen even a week earlier, as the majority of voters tend to turn ballots in immediately, most pouring in around the first week of the year. But one never knows if that old assumption sees fluctuation from time to time.

Nevertheless, with guild nomination announcements coming down the pike over the last few weeks, it’s worth understanding that the voting frames are different. Those announcements are reflective more of where the race was a month ago, and the Academy’s later frame often gives its members a chance to venture into other nooks and crannies of the season, should they choose to be so adventurous. That’s how Tommy Lee Jones gets nominated for “In the Valley of Elah.” It’s how Maggie Gyllenhaal gets chalked up for “Crazy Heart.” And it’s how any number of fringe hopefuls could find themselves waking to an unexpected phone call on the morning of January 24.

Of course, that more often tends to happen when a wall of consensus builds (leaving a desire for freshness), rather than when sentiment seems to be spread amongst a number of contenders. And this year is more reflective of the latter, with films like “The Artist,” “The Descendants,” “The Tree of Life” and “Hugo” all staking their claim for “best of the year” along the precursor circuit.

A film like “Margaret” can speak to actors. Anna Paquin’s performance is one of the year’s best and the ensemble is impeccable. Co-stars Jeannie Berlin and J. Smith-Cameron are equally deserving, the former finding some love from the critics, as well as Paquin. It can also speak to writers, as it’s a thematically dense piece of work from a celebrated playwright.

But it has to be seen. And for Fox Searchlight’s part, amid a torrential advocacy dispute that saw many tossing nuance out the window and calling for the studio’s head over the film’s lack of exposure, screeners were sent not just to the writers branch, not just to the actors branch, but to all voting members of the Academy.

I did a little straw poll amongst some AMPAS members in my circle and, well, it wasn’t encouraging. One member from the directors branch said he hadn’t watched the film but wished he had. Another member from the same branch didn’t recall receiving the film. A member from the sound branch had not watched the film and wondered why he should. One member of the PR branch was planning on watching it over the weekend (after the deadline), another had not yet watched it but was looking forward to doing so and had heard “pleasantly surprising” things from members who had and a third had no plans to watch it and was barely through his stack of screeners when he submitted his ballot.

Nevertheless, fingers will remain crossed that, against all odds, the film managed to find an audience somewhere within the Academy.

The Best Actress field (which Paquin is hoping to push into) ended up in a state of gridlock toward the end of the year. The five actresses nominated by the Screen Actors Guild (Glenn Close, Viola Davis, Meryl Streep, Tilda Swinton and Michelle Williams) are considered frontrunners for a nomination at this point, but the field is ripe for surprise. And there are options out there.

For instance, a number of members began to talk about Kirsten Dunst and her performance in “Melancholia” as the clock ticked down on phase one. Prominent wins from critics groups helped push the issue. Also coming on strong with a nicely timed Entertainment Weekly cover and amid clear appreciation from the guild circuit for her film was “The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo” star Rooney Mara. That film’s producer, Scott Rudin, suddenly popped up at the tail end of the phase with a strategically placed interview with trade outlet Deadline.com, clearly not taking the obvious industry goodwill for granted.

Which, on that point, it’s worth noting that no one knows a thing about how the new Best Picture rules will affect the ultimate nominations slate in the category. Yes, “Dragon Tattoo” appears to be strong, but how strong, really? Are there enough voters putting it at the top of their ballot to attain the necessary 5% to be eligible for the nod? Ditto Universal’s “Bridesmaids,” which has had a strong showing throughout the precursor circuit and could have revved the engine at just the right time to catapult into surprising Best Picture contention.

And what of “Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy,” which Focus still has high hopes for despite the film not showing up in major guild announcements. Could the British voting block and love throughout the crafts help it to a nod? And could Gary Oldman have found a pocket of goodwill big enough to get him that first Oscar nomination? Quite possibly.

Meanwhile, how in danger is “War Horse,” really? There’s no question that snubs by significant guilds were damaging indicators, but then then it pops up with an ACE nod today. Could the Academy ultimately resurrect the hobbled steed? Absolutely.

In the lead actor category, watch out for Michael Shannon, who could land his second OMG surprise Oscar nomination for his outstanding performance in “Take Shelter.” Consistent critics showings have kept that screener near the top of most stacks and he’s an affable guy, has worked for years, people love him and people do talk about the work.

There are a lot of moving parts and the Academy always shakes it up a little bit. Where will the pieces fall next Tuesday? We’ll know soon enough.

Guy and I have run a comb through the Contenders section. The sidebar predictions reflect those changes.

For year-round entertainment news and awards season commentary follow @kristapley on Twitter.

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With their awards rather needlessly spread across drama and musical/comedy categories — the craft is hardly incomparable between genres, particularly when certain titles aren’t even categorized correctly — the ACE Eddie Award nominations for film editing are more revealing in terms of omissions than inclusions.

And if it seemed like “The Help” was starting to build some momentum in this race, it received something of a setback today by missing the list. Though hardly an outstanding editing showcase, it might still have hoped to crack a drama category that did find room for “The Descendants” — not heavily favored for below-the-line Oscar attention — and the embattled “War Horse.”

Michael Kahn’s nomination here represents something of a lifeline for the WWI epic in the wake of snubs from the directors’, writers’, cinematographers’ and even art directors’ Guilds. Whether it’s an indication of enough enduring support for “War Horse” to make Oscar’s Best Picture lineup remains to be seen, but if it had missed here, it truly would have been time to read the last rites. It’s one of two nominations for four-time ACE champ Kahn — Steven Spielberg’s long-serving collaborator was also listed for “The Adventures of Tintin” in the animated field, where he could well snag another trophy.

Speaking of veteran director-editor pairings, another four-time ACE winner, Thelma Schoonmaker, notched up her seventh nomination for a Martin Scorsese film this morning. Could she score a fifth win? I think so — only last year’s winners Angus Wall and Kirk Baxter, nominated for surprise Guild juggernaut “The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo,” seem to pose any kind of obstacle. 

Oscar frontrunner “The Artist,” meanwhile, has a clear path to victory in the comedy/musical category –where they were evidently so short of ideas that, like the Golden Globes, they resorted to pretending “My Week With Marilyn” is actually funny to round out the field.

I’m not sure why I hadn’t realized until now that “The Artist” writer-director Michel Hazanavicius is also one of the film’s editors, setting him to receive three Oscar nominations next week. Should he win in all three of those categories — a distinct possibility — I’m pretty sure that’d be a first.

The full list of nominees in the film categories is as follows: 

Best Edited Feature Film (Drama):

“The Descendants”

“The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo”

“Hugo”

“Moneyball”

“War Horse”

Best Edited Feature Film (Musical/Comedy):

“The Artist”

“Bridesmaids”

“Midnight in Paris”

“My Week With Marilyn”

“Young Adult”

Best Edited Animated Feature Film:

“The Adventures of Tintin”

“Puss in Boots”

“Rango”

Remember to keep track of the ups and downs of the 2011-2012 film awards season via The Circuit.

For more views on movies, awards season and other pursuits, follow @GuyLodge on Twitter.

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Well, the Globes came and they went. And as I stood in the Fox Pavilion viewing party outside the Beverly Hilton hotel, guessing every single win with publicist friends, I couldn’t help but smile at the HFPA’s gall for being so predictable and so very much…themselves.

Madonna? Really? Of course.

Seriously, though, each and every winner was obvious save for the Best Picture (Drama) field, which I had expected to go to “Hugo.” The collective breath of the party seemed to be held until “The Descendants” was called, and the explosion was so intense you had to figure most everyone else in there was expecting it to come up short, too.

The film nabbed wins for Best Picture and Best Actor and set itself up nicely as the competition for “The Artist” at the Oscars. This morning’s ACE nomination for the film (which, by the way, there is a big below-the-line effort for it under way) solidifies it further, I’d say.

I was happy to see Shailene Woodley again at the after party for the first time since we spoke at Telluride (her first big interview for the film). Obviously a LOT has happened since that early season festival, where most were clamoring for face time with George Clooney and Alexander Payne. She seems to have settled into the rhythm of the season well. Matthew Lillard and Judy Greer were hanging around, Payne as well. I hung out with actor Nick Krause for a bit. Great guy, actually.

Word was the other parties at the Hilton were winding down early. So I bailed on WB/In Style, Weinstein and Universal/Focus, but the Fox gathering was still quite lively when I finally left to hit up a Chateau Marmont celebration on behalf of “Hugo.”

Best Director winner Martin Scorsese was holding court at the modest soiree and I again spent some time just talking about music in movies with him. He told me the use of “Cavalleria Rusticana: Intermezzo” over the opening credits of “Raging Bull” was a last-minute thing and that the music was meant to be used elsewhere in the film, but kind of by accident, it ended up working well as a lead-in.

And I couldn’t help but mention the use of “This Bitter Earth/On the Nature of Daylight” in “Shutter Island,” which tears my heart out every time I hear it. He gave it up to Robbie Robertson for suggesting that material, a valued music collaborator over the years. Scorsese was there with Sacha Baron Cohen and David Tedeschi, editor of “George Harrison: Living in the Material World,” and enjoyed himself quite late into the evening.

Also hanging out at the Chateau was Andy Serkis, delightful as always, clearly enjoying a little break before going back to work on “The Hobbit” in New Zealand.

Getting back to the awards themselves, I haven’t watched much of the show outside of Ricky Gervais’s opening monologue, which I agree was incredibly tame and a bit of a whiff given all the “will he or won’t he” hype. The Fox crowd was of course enthusiastic about the TV wins for “American Horror Story” and “Homeland.” The former I bailed on around the Halloween episode. The latter I really do want to see.

There was nothing game-changing about the film awards slate, though I don’t know if someone hit their speech out of the park or anything. That’s what these big precursor awards shows are good for, really: making an impression on voters should you get the chance to accept an award and deliver a knock-out speech (as Viola Davis did at the Critics’ Choice Movie Awards Thursday).

And so that caps off a very busy weekend as we head into the lull between the Oscar voting deadline and the nominations announcement next Tuesday. In the meantime, I’ll be heading up to Park City for my first Sundance Film Festival on Wednesday and hope to just find some time to see what I can without worrying about the grind of covering too intensely. Soon enough, phase two will be here, the Santa Barbara Film Festival will play up its featured contenders who happen to still be in the game at that time, the guilds will deliver their winners and soon enough, Oscar night will come…and go.

But at least the dog will be cute.

For year-round entertainment news and awards season commentary follow @kristapley on Twitter.

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So, the Golden Globes. I suppose I should write something about them, given that I went to the trouble of posting (lousy) predictions and all, but my throbbing head doesn’t really want to go back to that place. It was a night where “The Artist” cemented its frontrunner status, “The Descendants” was rather half-heartedly crowned its official opposition, the HFPA renewed their vows with George Clooney and Meryl Streep, and “W.E.” won more awards than “Drive,” “Shame,” “We Need to Talk About Kevin” and “Moneyball” combined. I might comment more later, but for now, I echo pretty much every word of Tim Robey’s dismayed Telegraph review of the affair, coming down equally hard on the uninspired list of winners and Ricky Gervais’s disappointingly flat hosting job. Better luck next year. [The Telegraph] 

Katey Rich draws five conclusions about the Oscar race from last night’s hijinks. [Cinema Blend]

Love this: the best reaction shots from the broadcast, and what they tell us. [Vulture]

Golden Globe live-blogs are a dime a dozen, but Nick Davis’s is one of the precious few that reads just as deliciously after the fact. [Nick’s Flick Picks]

Meanwhile, if you’re feeling a little sour about the Globes, Tom Shone offers 10 reasons why they’re better than the Oscars. [Taking Barack to the Movies]

David Poland sits down with one of the last night’s winners, “The Artist” composer Ludovic Bource. This time, he does not apologize for being French. [Hot Blog]

Steve Pond examines a number of the lower-profile ffilms in the running for the foreign-language Oscar, including Cannes winner “Once Upon a Time in Anatolia” and Icelandic gem “Volcano.” [The Odds]

R. Kurt Osenlund offers his thoughts on who will — and who should — be nominated in that weirdly floppy Best Supporting Actor category. [Slant]

Hey, Sundance is on the way. Brooks Barnes examines the road that led recently tarnished A-list directors Spike Lee and Stephen Frears to debut their news films there. [New York Times]

Tonight brings us the most significant of pre-Oscar Awards ceremonies: the Golden Globes. Okay, so the level of legitimacy that the HFPA has inspired is questionable at best. But there can be no question that the Globes have the highest profile of all the events leading up to Oscar’s big night. More importantly, though, Ricky Gervais is going to go absolutely mental tonight.

Guy posted his Golden Globe predictions earlier today, as well as his ideal selections. Though there are several categories where Guy and I are of a similar mind, there are one or two, however, where I favor a different film. In any event, here is our opportunity to share our thoughts as the evening unfolds on the hits and misses of the honors, speeches and inevitable deliciously inappropriate musings of the host.

I”ll my posting my own up to date reflections and invite you to join in with your opinions. Kris will be busy representing In Contention in and around the Beverly Hilton, where everyone from Fox to Universal to Weinstein and Warner Bros. will be (they hope) celebrating their spoils. He’ll be back soon enough to report from those, but in the interim, three, two, one…

You can also follow @kristapley on twitter for on the ground updates.

For great updates in the TV categories you can also check in with Dan Fienberg the Hitfix TV expert.

8:00: Well that”s the end of it then. Full list of winners below. A couple of small surprises tossed in, but, in general terms, all safe selections. I wish there were some more interesting choices in the mix. A bit more “Margaret” and “Shame” though I enjoyed the films that were honored. Disappointed in Gervais. I genuinely believed he would make more of this. In better news, his show looks hilarious.

Onward.

7:45: And it”s “The Descendants.”

7:47: And here is where I really protest. Look it”s not that Clooney wasn”t great in the role. He was. But this was Fassbender”s award. However, he was never going to win. It”s a shame (I apologize) but “Shame” really is one of my absolute favorites this year and I cannot see why it has not gotten more recognition. Other than we are a world of man and women children that turn a blind eye to anything that involves truthful discomfort. Sigh. At least I enjoyed Clooney”s speech overall.

Side note: Portman looks incredible,

7:41: “The Artist” is no surprise. But I just can not agree with what seems to be its inevitable win at the Oscars. In any event…

7:33: Meryl Streep seems to have made a funny. Not sure what it was. But it seems like a great thing that she is an actress rather than an improvisational comedian. All do respect. The fact is, I absolutely do respect her and happen to think she was phenomenal in this role. “God, Harvey Weinstein” nice save on that speech! Sort of.

This was a fierce field indeed. I would have loved to see Tilda Swinton win for “Let”s Talk About Kevin” but I am good with this win. Though I may be in the minority.

Was Gervais saving the somewhat good bits for Colin Firth who he knows we all love. Also, I love Colin Firth. More saliently, these cutaways are embarrassing.

7:29: Ricky, will you ever break free of this seemingly impenetrable leash? Pretty please. I was promised “mental.”

7:24: I just do not see the performances, as lovely and charming as they are, as the thing to pull out from “The Artist.” Alas.

Wahlberg could not sound more bored.

I would follow Benedict Cumberbatch anywhere.

7:20: Well, that settles it. Sofia Vergara & “Modern Family” creator Steve Levitan (as a unit) give the best speech of the night.

7:16: I dislike that I did not hear what is likely the most interesting thing the host had to say all night.

7:13: Interesting. Martin Scorsese represents the first real, true surprise of the night for me. My guess is that “Hugo” will not win Best Picture. The vote will have been split between Best Director and Picture with “The Artist” taking Picture in all likelihood.

7:11: Robert Downey Jr. paying tribute to “Hugo” reminds me that I loved him in and as “Chaplin.”

7:06: Secondary side note: I think they are trying to filibuster Gervais.

7:05: Side note: I am planning to hire Freeman to narrate my life.

7:03: I”m willing to wait for Sidney Poitier to finish a thought. So should we all. Helen Miren may fall a bit flat, but, on the upside looks incredible. Forgive me, but I never really did understand why “Driving Miss Daisy” became such a thing. Having said that I got teary eyed looking at “The Shawshank Redemption” montage and I”m not afraid to say it.

All said, I forgot that Morgan Freeman could be so fierce. “John Doe” has the upper hand indeed. And finally, sweet lord, I love “Unforgiven,” my favorite of Eastwood”s other than the less hailed “A Perfect World.”

6:55: Reese Witherspoon is looking remarkably Legally Blondy. Which is not necessarily a bad thing.

6:52: Will Gervais offer a rebuttal to Madonna (who is from DETROIT). Alas, the accent remains.

6:49: Side note: An unnamed actor told me the other day that he”d like to smack Bradley Cooper around a bit. Thoughts?

6:46: Octavia Spencer takes it again all but solidifying her Oscar win. Love her, I do, but I have to agree this should have gone to Chastain.

6:38: I must say, no real stand-outs in the speech department thus far…Spielberg keeps it nice and simple.

6:31: “A Separation” is absolutely the correct choice in this category. I love the raw, intimate portrait it paints and it strangely reminds me somewhat of “Margaret” in the way it presents the macro via the micro. But there is something about the Pygmalion like “The Skin I Live In” that stays with me.

6:26: The show does indeed seem to be hosting itself. Where is the promised mania I ask you?

6:23: Singing intro: Possibly the best joke of the night.

6:22: Woody Allen could not care less about this stuff! Hilarious! He wants to say “thank you” indeed!

6:21: I would not call “50/50” as one of my top ten (though I really like it) but I have such an affection for Anna Kendrick and Joseph Gordon-Levitt.

6:14: Wow. I really believed this should be, and would be “Rango.” In any event, Steven Spielberg is impossible not to like, and it is fun to watch him play without restriction in “Tintin.”

6:07: “Game of Thrones???” Okay, but this is a great one. May we also suggest checking Peter Dinklage out in Tom McCarthy”s “The Station Agent” as well?

6:06: Also it is a loose interpretation of comedy.

Michelle Williams was lovely in the role as I”ve said, but Rogen did not hide his disdain for the interpretation of the category “the hysterical comedy…” My, my. I don”t mind this win and really respect her as a talent, though I do believe the interpretation of the strength of her performance is somewhat off. She is a gorgeous Marilyn, but we do not really see Norma Jean.

Again, can’t begrudge her the win.

6:00: Rogen speaks for all the gentlemen in the room. Beckinsale is flawless.

5:59: Homies Pitt and Clooney introduce one another”s films. I actually enjoy the symmetry. Though I always enjoy symmetry. But I far prefer “Moneyball” to “The Ides of March.” As I mentioned earlier, the intern storyline really did not work for me.

5:52: I have to agree with the comments. Gervais seems leashed.

5:48: I’ve said it, several times, but this is out of control!! Really, Madonna??? Could you be star grabbing any more blatantly? She hasn’t walked a carpet in years. Fine. But Blige would have been the one sans “The Muppets.”

5:46: These expressions are priceless.

5:44: Best Original Score. This is one where Guy and I disagree. I actually think “The Artist” is all about the score.

5:40: I must check out “Homeland” and hear it is wonderful. But as my friend Ned says: “Winter is totally still coming.”

5:35: “Defecating into a sink less demeaning than what most of you have done to make it in show business.” I do so love you Gervais.

5:32: “You have no idea.” That is all. Jeremy Irons.

5:27: What I love about “Midnight In Paris”: how the tone switches from author to author, the fantastical look at the human tendency to romanticize the past both individual and collective. What I did not love: Rachel McAdams doing her Woody Allen.

5:25: I”d love to take this moment to recommend that everyone go back and take another look at Todd Haynes”s filmogrophy. I love his work. “Safe” and “Velvet Goldmine” are two particular favorites.

5:21: Okay, we are about movies. But there are not words to express my addiction and love for “Downton Abbey.” Side note, “Downton””s Elizabeth McGovern is married to “My Week With Marilyn” director Simon Curtis. Okay.

5:18: Ohhhh, awkward with the teleprompter. Nice recovery Moore.

Also, I have never read so many mentions of velociraptors.

5:10: Christopher Plummer is no real surprise, he is the front runner for the Best Supporting Oscar win. Lovely speech on his part. I know there will be those who will bemoan the Albert Brooks loss in this field, but I do love Plummer. This may be one of the last chances for him to receive recognition. Also, I do appreciate a man that values his martini…I mean wife.

5:08: The man who will wear literally anything Tim Burton tells him to seems far more dower when reading off the prompter. Still, how can you not love Johnny Depp. Sufficiently nice montage for “Hugo.”

5:05: My favorite of the HPFA rules to Gervais is not to mention Gibson or Jodie Foster”s Beaver. Best jab is at the Foreign Press itself. Overall not over the line in my mind. What is twitter talking about.

Red Carpet Shenanigans:

There is rarely much depth yielded from red carpets, however, there are brief moments of interest to be noted here and there.

On to NBC coverage.

4:59: Embarrassing to hear the stage manager over NBC”s red carpet hosts. Onward.

4:51: Glenn Close nominated in the original song category (again, I say, “The Muppets”) as well as an actress. Here is the night that she steps ahead of her co-star Janet McTeer. Though I don”t believe this will be the night that she takes the prize.

4:45: Clooney says that the best, least seen film of the year is “Warrior.” I really enjoyed “Warrior” and wish more people had seen it – but I”d have to say “Margaret” of course would be my pick in that particular field. Thanks to Sasha Perelraver for that update.

4:40: I am hearing rumors of a Goslingless Globes. Say it ain”t so.

4:35: Leonardo DiCaprio was drawn to “J. Edgar” in that he could not easily define the character. Though DiCaprio delivers a fine performance, the lack of clarity in the overall film really served to dilute the impact for me. In any event, he is not likely to take the prize tonight. But surely he will at some point in his career. Likely sooner rather than later.

4:33: Will Arnett and Amy Poehler are ready for Gervais to unleash the Kraken on Hollywood. My guess is that they”re safe.

4:23: Evan Rachel Wood is lovely. Congrats to her on her nomination for Best Supporting Actress “Mildred Pierce.” I must say, however, that (through no fault of her own) her storyline in “The Ides of March” all but killed the film for me. It weakened to motivations and felt somewhat trite (as true to life as it may be). The real meat of the betrayal, for me as a viewer, lay in the selling of Cabinet positions. And the real crux of the drama lay in the game of mental chess that the characters took part in.

4:18: I love Sir Elton John, of course. But can we say one more time how absolutely ludicrous it is that “The Muppets” were not nominated (thrice) for Best Original Song?

4:10: Michelle Williams muses on Marilyn Monroe”s intelligence and wit. I”ve listened to Marilyn speak in her “real” voice on several occasions and have been deeply impressed with just how smart and self-aware she was. What”s interesting to me about “My Week With Marilyn” is that what feels impressive to me about Williams performance has been misunderstood in my mind. She serves beautifully as the fantasized version of the boy”s perception, even in her frailty. But she still remains essentially the created figure: Marilyn. She never really “drops the act” as it were, nor should she. She is what Colin envisioned her to be and her performance captures that notion perfectly. But the idea that the real woman is presented seems somewhat inaccurate in my mind. However, I did really enjoy what she did.

4:00: Berenice Bejo says there was “no risk, just pleasure” in the creation of the silent film “The Artist.” Indeed, she served as muse for her husband, and “The Artist” director Michel Hazanavicius. I find the film charming, creative and deeply enjoyable. It sort of defines “feel good” for me this year. And as much as the performances added to that effect, I find it odd that they have been pulled out as much as they have. The broad nature is inherently limited for me. In any event, she looks absolutely gorgeous.

3:50: “Life”s Too Short” looks hilarious.

3:45: Alright twitter. Yes, Kelly Osbourne”s hair has a grey-blue tint. Moving right along.

3:40: Rooney Mara apparently takes the physical portions of her roles quite seriously. Not certain I”d be quite that willing to get multiple piercings, but who knows. I don”t believe it will yield a win this year, but her nomination does perhaps bode well for her cache in Hollywood and the scope of her choice in her career. It will be interesting to see how she utilizes that power

3:40: Octavia Spencer watched to Globes at a friend”s place last year with an in house betting pool. She”d be smart to bet on herself this year. Of course, she served as the inspiration for her character Minny. She was in New Orleans on a working vacation with director Tate Taylor and his childhood friend (and “The Help” author) Kathryn Stockett when Stockett asked Spencer if she could use her mannerisms as reference for Minny. I am somewhat surprised that E! chose not to ask her about the correlation. Somewhat.

3:30: Forgive me, it must be said, Jessica Chastain looks stunning. She doesn”t say much more than she is excited to be there. But she does mention that she felt that she had previously believed that there was a “Chastain curse.” She made her first film four years ago and had 11 in the can before one was released. Clearly the Gods of timing were working in her favor. This year is without much question the year of Chastain. How that will play out in terms of wins, however, remains to be seen.

She mentions a Princess Di biopic in the work and as a side note, clearly watches reality TV.

Not sure if I find that endearing or disappointing to be honest. Given the option I”ll role with endearing.

3:10: George Clooney who is nominated for Best Actor in a Drama, Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Motion Picture Drama and Best Director does not feel he will win in all fields. He will likely win for Best Actor. He is interestingly enough up against his own work in some instances with Ryan Gosling nominated as Best Actor for his film “The Ides of March,” which is also nominated as Best Picture against “The Descendents.” Though he does put the ceremony in its proper perspective:

“What”s fun is that people get hammered and then people give funny speeches.”

3:05 PM: Christopher Guest wishes Gervais good luck for his hosting duties, which I certainly hope accurately sets the tone for the festivities. Meanwhile, Ricky reports that he feels that the build up to tonight”s performance has been largely overblown as was the response to last years. Summing the press response thusly:

“Normally you have to murder someone to get that much column space, I just told some jokes.”

Indeed.

——————-

Once again, the winners of this year’s Golden Globes are:

Best Picture (Drama): “The Descendants”

Best Picture (Comedy or Musical): “The Artist”

Best Director: Martin Scorsese, “Hugo”

Best Actor (Drama): George Clooney, “The Descendants”

Best Actor (Comedy or Musical): Jean Dujardin, “The Artist”

Best Actress (Drama): Meryl Streep, “The Iron Lady”

Best Actress (Comedy or Musical): Michelle Williams, “My Week with Marilyn”

Best Supporting Actor: Christopher Plummer, “Beginners”

Best Supporting Actress: Octavia Spencer, “The Help”

Best Screenplay: “Midnight in Paris”

Best Original Score: “The Artist”

Best Original Song: “Masterpiece” from “W.E.”

Best Animated Feature: “The Adventures of Tintin”

Best Foreign Language Film: “A Separation”

For year-round entertainment news and commentary follow @JRothC on Twitter.

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Not since the 2002 awards season was bouncily dominated by “Chicago” — the last comedy, or indeed musical, to take the Best Picture Oscar — has drama looked like more of an afterthought at the Golden Globe Awards. As Rob Marshall’s frisky tuner swept the comedy/musical categories at the Hollywood Foreign Press Association’s perennially boozy shindig, the top prize in the corresponding drama category was handed to “The Hours,” a modest, downbeat female ensemble piece that everyone knew hadn’t a shot in hell at the Oscar. The award that usually represents the climax of the Globes ceremony had been downgraded to consolation-prize status.  

Nine years later, as if to restore some lustre to a category that last year named “The Tourist” one of the year’s best films, we’re looking at a similar situation. “The Artist,” the silent French wonder that currently leads the Oscar race by a comfortable distance, is a foreordained winner of the musical/comedy Best Picture Globe tonight (as well as a Best Actor prize for star Jean Dujardin), while over in the drama race, a number of less favored titles are jostling for the title of Official Opposition.

If it feels like a more secondary category than usual, however, it’s also a more exciting one. Conventional wisdom favors “The Descendants” making its presence felt with a win here: critically acclaimed, easy to digest and headlined by the HFPA’s unofficial boyfriend George Clooney, it’s also one of only two films in the running that has directing, writing and acting nominations to beef up its status. (The other one? Why, “The Ides of March,” of course — though in this case, I sense their Clooney crush isn’t for life, just for Christmas.) It’s a safe option from a director who already has three Globes on his mantel.   

So I’m not sure exactly why I’m choosing not to follow conventional wisdom, and am instead sticking my neck out for “The Help” — except that it seems intangibly to be picking up more steam in the Oscar race than “The Descendants,” and Globe voters may be feeling it too. It’d be an unusual choice for this often somewhat Eurocentric group, and the first drama victor without a Best Director nod since they sold their souls for “Scent of a Woman” in 1992, but I’m feeling playful — even if rumors of great affection for “Hugo” within the HFPA might make it a likelier spoiler. (On another note, it’s interesting that “The Descendants” and “The Help” weren’t all that far from competing in the Comedy/Musical race — win or lose, both films should be glad to have dodged that steamroller.) 

The other category to watch, of course, is Best Director, which should indicate just how unstoppable “The Artist”‘s momentum is — the Globes are more partial than the Academy to Picture/Director splits (though they haven’t been the last three years), but I’m guessing Michel Hazanavicius, fresh from his Critics’ Choice win, will have done enough to charm and impress the journalists of the organization. Meanwhile, should Bérénice Bejo upset the ladies of “The Help” in the Best Supporting Actress category — which could very easily happen — we’ll know just how much Velcro is on those coattails. 

Other questions abound. Can Brad Pitt break up the HFPA’s passionate embrace with Clooney? Will voters take pity once more on poor Meryl Streep, who only has seven Globes to her name? Are they shameless enough to reward Angelina Jolie over “A Separation?” Will some savvy administrator seat Kim Novak at “The Artist”‘s table? And how many times did you pause to restitch your sides during the laugh riot that was “My Week With Marilyn?” All, or at least some, will be answered tonight.

My predictions, together with my preferences, are listed below. A full list of nominations is here. Do share your thoughts in the comments.

Best Picture – Drama

Will win: “The Help”
Should win: “Moneyball”
Should be here: “Margaret”

Best Picture – Musical/Comedy

Will and should win: “The Artist”
Should be here: “The Guard”

Best Director

Will and should win: Michel Hazanavicius, “The Artist”
Should be here: Lynne Ramsay, “We Need to Talk About Kevin” 

Best Actor – Drama

Will win: George Clooney, “The Descendants”
Should win: Michael Fassbender, “Shame”
Should be here: Tom Cullen, “Weekend”

Best Actress – Drama

Will win: Viola Davis, “The Help”
Should win: Tilda Swinton, “We Need to Talk About Kevin”
Should be here: Juliette Binoche, “Certified Copy”

Best Actor – Musical/Comedy

Will and should win: Jean Dujardin, “The Artist”
Should be here: Christoph Waltz, “Carnage”

Best Actress – Musical/Comedy

Will win: Michelle Williams, “My Week With Marilyn”
Should win: Kristen Wiig, “Bridesmaids”
Should be here: Jennifer Aniston, “Horrible Bosses”

Best Supporting Actor

Will win: Christopher Plummer, “Beginners”
Should win: Viggo Mortensen, “A Dangerous Method”
Should be here: Chris O’Dowd, “Bridesmaids”

Best Supporting Actress

Will win: Octavia Spencer, “The Help”
Should win: Jessica Chastain, “The Help”
Should be here: Vanessa Redgrave, “Coriolanus”

Best Screenplay

Will win: Alexander Payne, Nat Faxon and Jim Rash, “The Descendants”
Should win: Michel Hazanavicius, “The Artist”
Should be here: Sean Durkin, “Martha Marcy May Marlene”

Best Foreign Language Film

Will and should win: “A Separation”
Should be here: “Tomboy”

Best Animated Feature

Will and should win: “Rango”
Should be here: “Chico and Rita”

Best Original Score

Will win: Ludovic Bource, “The Artist”
Should win: Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross, “The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo”
Should be here: Cliff Martinez, “Drive” 

Best Original Song

Will win: “Hello Hello,” “Gnomeo and Juliet”
Should win: “The Keeper,” “Machine Gun Preacher”
Should be here: One good song  

For more views on movies, awards season and other pursuits, follow @GuyLodge on Twitter.

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The Nevada Film Critics Society has spoken and “Hugo” was the word on its collective lips. The film won Best Picture, Best Director and Best Child Actor from the group. Meanwhile, Tom Hardy received his first win of the season for his performance in “Warrior.” Check out the full list of winners below.

Best Picture: “Hugo”

Best Director: Martin Scorsese, “Hugo”

Best Actor: Tom Hardy, “Warrior”

Best Actress: Jessica Chatain, “The Debt,” “The Help,” “Take Shelter” and “The Tree of Life”

Best Supporting Actor: Albert Brooks, “Drive”

Best Supporting Actress: Janet McTeer, “Albert Nobbs”

Best Animated Film: “Puss in Boots”

Best Ensemble Cast: “The Help”

Best Breakthrough Performer: (tie) Rooney Mara, “The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo,” Elizabeth Olsen, “Martha Marcy May Marlene”

Best Child Actor: Asa Butterfield, “Hugo”

Remember to keep track of the ups and downs of the 2011-2012 film awards season via The Circuit.

For year-round entertainment news and awards season commentary follow @kristapley on Twitter.

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Leading into tomorrow’s Golden Globes ceremony at the Beverly Hilton Hotel, Hollywood has been all abuzz with events aimed at making the most of having talent in town for the big awards show weekend.

Things started Wednesday night with a Weinstein Company pre-Globes soiree that I didn’t attend, but Thursday brought plenty to chew on with the 17th annual Critics’ Choice Movie Awards, already covered and recapped.

Yesterday afternoon there was an AFI awards luncheon, which I also didn’t attend. I did, however, stop by Paramount’s big pre-Globes party on behalf of its nominees later that night. I’m happy they relocated it over to the lot after holding it at the Chateau Marmont, as it’s become very much an over-crowded shin-dig over the years. Seriously, sardines in a can. The breathing room was nice.

Actors Jack Nicholson, Kevin Costner, Billy Bob Thornton, Ernest Borgnine, Charlize Theron and more were on hand, as well as filmmakers Jason Reitman and Martin Scorsese and editor Thelma Schoonmaker. Andy Serkis, in town for the weekend’s festivities before heading back to New Zealand for work on “The Hobbit,” dropped in for a while, too.

I spent most of the night hunkered down with Variety’s Steve Gaydos and later “Transformers: Dark of the Moon” sound mixer Greg P. Russell, however. Russell is, as ever, hopeful that the Academy will call his number one of these days. (He’s been to the dance 14 times and has yet to walk away with a statue.)

It’s an uphill climb to get a film like “Transformers” an Oscar, even if it offers some of the most accomplished crafts work of the year, from the sound work to the visual effects. And Russell gets that, but as I told him, if indeed he gets a nod for the film (which feels like an all-but-sure scenario), there is something to be said for three-straight nominations in the category for the franchise. The only trilogies to do that are the original “Star Wars” series and “The Lord of the Rings.” No one else, not Indiana Jones, Ethan Hunt, Jason Bourne, Captain Jack Sparrow, John McClane, Peter Parker, Neo or the Alien, can lay claim to that feat.

(UPDATE: Also Friday night, I should add, was the Los Angeles Film Critics Association’s awards dinner.)

On Saturday it was the annual Independent Spirit Awards’ nominees brunch, which this year featured the presentation of Film Independent’s four filmmaker grants. Usually those presentations happen during the awards ceremony the day before the Oscars.

Mark Duplass and Sarah Paulson were on hand for the presentations, which went to directors Mark Jackson (“Without”), Heather Courtney (“Where Soldiers Come From”) and Benjamin Murray & Alysa Nahmias (“Unfinished Spaces”), as well as producer Sophia Lin (“Take Shelter”).

Also in attendance for the festivities were Paulson’s “Martha Marcy May Marlene” co-star John Hawkes, “We Need to Talk About Kevin” star and Indie Spirit nominee for “Cedar Rapids” John C. Reilly, surprise SAG nominee Demián Bichir (“A Better Life”) and “We Were Here” director (and Best Documentary Feature Oscar semi-finalist) David Weissman, among others.

I spent some time with Focus Features honcho James Schamus, who was in self-professed spin mode on “Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy.” But he remains confident that actor Gary Oldman can still get in for the film and that, indeed, the film itself is not out of the Best Picture, uh, picture yet. There may have been a bit of a swell behind the scenes for “Tinker” over the holidays, particularly for Oldman. Could the film turn the trick and pop up where it’s been counted out? Quite possibly.

Also lingering around was “Midnight in Paris” star Corey Stoll, who I was happy to finally meet this season. (Gerard, you’ll recall, spoke to the actor in Boston where Stoll participated in a JFK Library/Ernest Hemingway event.) Stoll never expected the run of awards attention and overall goodwill that has greeted the film since its Cannes bow.

He said he was a little nervous at first at how quickly director Woody Allen works, but the character of Ernest Hemingway — a from-the-gut sort if there ever was one — allowed him to embrace the pace. And in particular he marveled at the work of costume designer Sonia Grande, who “had three different periods to do, with half the budget of one period,” he said.

“The Artist” director Michel Hazanavicius and composer Ludovic Bource were hanging around as well. I spoke briefly with the latter, who a year ago never would have imagined he’d be in the midst of this kind of a circus. I didn’t bother bringing up Kim Novak, but I’m told the team reveres the actress and is pretty bummed about the “Vertigo” star’s hyperbolic statements against the use of Bernard Herrmann’s score in the film.

Also today was BAFTA’s annual tea party, which I also didn’t attend. Now it’s all about saving up some energy for Sunday night’s roller-coaster.

Fox Searchlight will hold its annual viewing party, along with a post-show soiree. The Weinstein Company will be doing the same, and the Warner Bros./In Style event will go down again. I’ll navigate what I can and try not to get bogged down in a desire to just drink with friends and acquaintances like last night.

It happens, the grind of the season, not complaining. Maybe I’ll get a post-Sundance second wind.

For year-round entertainment news and awards season commentary follow @kristapley on Twitter.

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For those of us who closely monitor the caliber of film costumes, Mark Bridges”s talent has been apparent for well over a decade, going back to at least Paul Thomas Anderson”s “Boogie Nights.”  Efforts such as “Magnolia,” “Punch-Drunk Love,” “Blast from the Past,” “There Will Be Blood” and “The Fighter” have shown Bridges”s ability to design threads for numerous periods and in a vast array of genres. His collaboration with Michel Hazanavicus on “The Artist,” however, has probably presented him with his best chance to date to finally find a place in Oscar”s final quintet.

The costumer came aboard this year’s Best Picture frontrunner about 18 months ago, he says. “I went to meet Michel on the July fourth weekend in LA and as we discussed the project, we ended up referencing the same silent films,” he says, noting that it was clear the two of them clicked and he was formally offered the job shortly thereafter.

Bridges describes his relationship with Hazanavicius as extremely supportive, as he was given clear direction but a lot of free reign. “He had drawn his own storyboard for the film and he let me go and interpret that,” he says.

As for where his interpretation took him, he admits he was excited by the notion of paying homage to silent films. “I was a huge fan of silent films since I was a kid,” he says. “My first reaction was to go back to basics in an era of computer generation and 3D.”

This required collaboration with his colleagues below the line, naturally, working hand-in-hand with hair and makeup artists Cydney Cornell and Joe Hay to create the looks of the characters. Working with production designer Laurence Bennett was particularly important, however, as he needed to ensure that the clothes could complement the background.

“I couldn”t have a dark sweater on an actor if there was going to be a black wall behind him,” he says. “The colors wouldn”t make a difference in a black-and-white film. We did some camera tests to figure out what a color looked like in black and white. And seeing as he couldn’t utilize color as a motif for characters, he and his team instead used different textures to tell the story. “Flatness corresponded to an atmosphere of ‘real life” or being down on your luck,” he notes for example.

Even so, black-and-white, in addition to many shades of gray, does provide the ability to contrast. “In the scene when Jean [Dujardin] is going down the stairs and [Bérénice Bejo]”s going up, she”s a beacon of white while his clothes appear the same as everyone else”s.” When Hazanavicius proposed the idea, Bridges was eager to use it, as it perfectly fit into the story thematically.

Recreating the clothes of the 1920s and 1930s was a passion for Bridges, but also a challenge. He had always been interested in looking at what makes this or that specifically, say, 1927 or 1932, he says, but he was ultimately limited to the finite number of period-appropriate clothes available at houses in Los Angeles (where the film was shot). “Finding enough clothes for everyone, working on a rather tight budget, was the biggest challenge,” he says. “Out of necessity, for principals especially, we had to design and make a lot of stuff.”

Despite the challenges in creating a period picture, and the fact that the costumers are almost never rewarded by the Academy for contemporary efforts, Bridges actually thinks it”s easier to do a period film. “Everyone relates differently to contemporary stuff,” he says. “They rely on you to do the research for a period film. Sandy Powell mentioned contemporary work in an acceptance speech one year.” Indeed, she did. While accepting the Oscar for designing the threads of “The Young Victoria” two years ago, Powell noted that even though she excelled at dressing dead royals, many designers do outstanding work by capturing the personalities and characters of the sorts of people we see on a daily basis.

The short shoot and limited prep time on Hazanavicius’s film also added to the challenge. But he of course cherishes the project and the opportunity to contribute to it. “I have such fond memories on the film,” he says. “I was allowed to contribute and my ideas were welcomed. You don”t always work with actresses or directors who were as comfortable as they were.”

The fact that there were so many doubts during the making of the film makes the success all the sweeter, though. “I remember a lot of crew people were wondering if it would ever see the light of day,” he says.

Combining period and black-and-white, while also doing service to the apparent Best Picture frontrunner, adds up to this film likely being Bridges”s long overdue first trip to the Kodak. As fantastic as many of his past efforts have been, given his love of silent films and Old Hollywood, it would seem an appropriate time for his number to be called.

“The Artist” is currently playing in limited release and adding new theaters every week.

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