The Academy Award nominations are in and now the month-long countdown to one of TV’s most exciting and watched events is on. These are the 83^rd Academy Awards and will be broadcast live from Los Angeles, California.   The British film The King’s Speech leads with the most nominations, including Best Actor and Best Picture. Following The King’s Speech is True Grit, a Coen brothers film that was expected to have a heavy hand in the race.

The King’s Speech, True Grit and The Social Network are all up for best picture and are thought to be the favorites. Winter’s Bone, a film set in the gritty and dark American south and about a teenage girl’s search for her missing meth-producer father, could be the upset. It has garnered much attention and awards in the independent film circuit and has received nothing but stellar reviews. Black Swan also stands a chance.

In the Best Actor Lead Role, no surprises in the nominations of Jesse Eisenberg for The Social Network and Jeff Bridges for True Grit. Eisenberg has been receiving best actor talk even before the film came out, and if Bridges wins, it will be another victory after Crazy Heart. Colin Firth may stand the best chance as he has received much attention recently and is fresh in the minds of the voters.

The Best Actress Lead Role is topped with Natalie Portman for her committed role in Black Swan and Nicole Kidman in Rabbit Hole. But newcomer Jennifer Lawrence, who played the teenage girl searching for her missing father in the backwoods of America’s south in Winter’s Bone, may take it. She has been spoken about and praised since the beginning and she drove the dark and brooding film. And the young girl winning it all is a story straight out of Hollywood.

For Best Director, no surprise the Coen Brothers for True Grit are on top. Ever since the brilliance and success of No Country For Old Men, the Coen Brothers are strong Oscar contenders. David Fincher is a favorite for The Social Network, the film about the rise of Facebook and his films always have a distinct Fincher-feel.

As every year, the Oscars will be long and exciting and full of surprises. Let the debates begin.  Keep up to date with the latest Academy Award nominees and winners at Oscar Central.

Source:  SanDiego.com