My Oscar Picks for The 86th Academy Awards, March 2nd, 2014: What are your picks?

“I decided to host the Oscars again because I like a challenge, and I don't like to get stuck in a rut doing the same thing every day. So every once in a while I like to challenge myself. And this year I thought I would challenge myself in front of a billion people. And the gift bag.” ~~ Ellen DeGenerous , host of The 86th Academy Awards, American stand-up comedian, television host, and actress who starred in the popular sitcom "Ellen" from 1994 to 1998 and has hosted the syndicated talk show "The Ellen DeGeneres Show" since 2003; As quoted on why she decided to host The Academy Awards a second time. 86th Academy Awards

Seems like yesterday that the Oscar nominations were announced. Oscar night this year is telecast live on ABC on March 2 from the Dolby Theatre at Hollywood and Highland. More Oscar nomination coverage is at the Official 86th Annual Academy Awards -- Oscar.com and visit the “Oscar Nominee” section of the Website.

Here are my Oscar Picks for The 86th Academy Awards, March 2nd, 2014.

What are your picks? There's still time to cast your votes at Oscar.Go.com

Or you can look below which also includes my Oscar picks (begins with best picture category and includes links to more info about the Oscar nominated movie). Bookmark this post as it will be updated with winners as they become announced.
Photo left of Oscar statue award courtesy FreeDigitalPhotos.

Next to each category header is my prediction. Winner updates will be added as they are announced on Oscar night:

Best Picture: Winner ★ “12 Years a Slave,” Brad Pitt, Dede Gardner, Jeremy Kleiner, Steve McQueen and Anthony Katagas, Producers; My prediction, “Gravity”
★ “American Hustle” Charles Roven, Richard Suckle, Megan Ellison and Jonathan Gordon, Producers
★ “Captain Phillips” Scott Rudin, Dana Brunetti and Michael De Luca, Producers
★ “Dallas Buyers Club” Robbie Brenner and Rachel Winter, Producers
★ “Gravity” Alfonso Cuarón and David Heyman, Producers http://gravitymovie.warnerbros.com
★ “Her” Megan Ellison, Spike Jonze and Vincent Landay, Producers http:// www.herthemovie.com
★ “Nebraska” Albert Berger and Ron Yerxa, Producers
★ “Philomena” Gabrielle Tana, Steve Coogan and Tracey Seaward, Producers
★ “12 Years a Slave” Brad Pitt, Dede Gardner, Jeremy Kleiner, Steve McQueen and Anthony Katagas, Producers
★ “The Wolf of Wall Street” Martin Scorsese, Leonardo DiCaprio, Joey McFarland and Emma Tillinger Koskoff, Producers

Best Actor in a Leading Role: Winner ★ Matthew McConaughey, “Dallas Buyers Club;” My prediction, Matthew McConaughey in “Dallas Buyers Club.” Although I keep on going back and forth between Leonardo DiCaprio (also deserves an Oscar) in "The Wolf of Wall Street" and McConaughey.
★ Christian Bale, "American Hustle" (2nd Oscar nomination)
★ Bruce Dern, "Nebraska" (2nd Oscar nomination)
★ Leonardo DiCaprio, "The Wolf of Wall Street" (5th Oscar nomination)
★ Chiwetel Ejiofor, "12 Years a Slave" (first Oscar nomination)
★ Matthew McConaughey, "Dallas Buyers Club" (first Oscar nomination)

Best Actor in a Supporting Role: Winner ★Jared Leto; My prediction, Jared Leto, "Dallas Buyers Club" “…This is incredibly special because there are so so many people who have helped me….This is for the 36 million people who have lost the battle to aids...” ~~ Jared Leto on accepting award
★ Barkhad Abdi, "Captain Phillips" (first Oscar nomination)
★ Bradley Cooper, "American Hustle" (2nd Oscar nomination)
★ Michael Fassbender, "12 Years a Slave" (first Oscar nomination)
★ Jonah Hill, "The Wolf of Wall Street" (2nd Oscar nomination)
★ Jared Leto, "Dallas Buyers Club" (first Oscar nomination)

Best Actress in a Leading Role: Winner ★ Cate Blanchett, "Blue Jasmine;” her 2nd Oscar My prediction, Amy Adams, "American Hustle" (this is her fifth Oscar nomination)but I keep going back and forth between Judi Dench, "Philomena" and Adams.
★ Amy Adams, "American Hustle" (5th nomination, 2nd for leading role)
★ Cate Blanchett, "Blue Jasmine" (6th nomination, received one Oscar best actress supporting role in The Aviator) adorned the red carpet in a spectacular, nude blush Armani
★ Sandra Bullock, "Gravity" (2nd Oscar nomination, one Oscar for lead role "Blind Side") in a fabulous Alexander McQueen gown
★ Judi Dench, "Philomena" (nominated 7 times, one Oscar best actress supporting role Shakespeare In Love)
★ Meryl Streep, "August: Osage County" (nominated 18 times, won 3 Oscars for Sophies Choice, Iron Lady, Kramer vs. Kramer)

Best Actress in a Supporting Role: Winner ★ Lupita Nyong’o, "12 Years a Slave"; My prediction, Lupita Nyong’o, "12 Years a Slave"
★ Sally Hawkins, "Blue Jasmine" (first Oscar nomination)
★ Jennifer Lawrence, "American Hustle" (3rd Oscar nomination, won Oscar leading role "Silver Linings Playbook" dressed in Dior red gown at Oscar night
★ Lupita Nyong’o, "12 Years a Slave" (first Oscar nomination), wore pale icy blue Prada gown at Oscar night
★ Julia Roberts, "August: Osage County" 4th Oscar nomination, won Oscar leading role "Erin Brockovich" adorned the red carpet in a spectacular black lace Givenchy
★ June Squibb, "Nebraska" (1st Oscar nomination)

Best Animated Feature Film: Winner ★ "Frozen," Chris Buck, Jennifer Lee and Peter Del Vecho ; My prediction, “Frozen” Chris Buck, Jennifer Lee and Peter Del Vecho
★ "The Croods" - Chris Sanders, Kirk DeMicco and Kristine Belson (3rd Oscar nomination for Chris Sanders; first for Kirk DeMicco and Kristine Belson)
★ "Despicable Me 2" - Chris Renaud, Pierre Coffin and Chris Meledandri (2nd nomination for Chris Renaud, first for Pierre Coffin and Chris Meledandri)
★ "Ernest & Celestine" – Benjamin Renner and Didier Brunner (1st nominations for Renner and Brunner)
★ "Frozen" – Chris Buck, Jennifer Lee and Peter Del Vecho (2nd nomination for Chuck Buck; first for Lee and Del Vecho)
★ "The Wind Rises" – Hayao Miyazaki and Toshio Suzuki (3rd nomination for Miyazaki; 1st for Suzuki)

Best Cinematography: Winner ★ “Gravity” Emmanuel Lubezki; My prediction – obviously, “Gravity” Emmanuel Lubezki
★ "The Grandmaster" – Philippe Le Sourd (1st nomination)
★ "Gravity" - Emmanuel Lubezki (6th nomination)
★ "Inside Llewyn Davis" – Bruno Delbonnel (4th nomination)
★ "Nebraska" – Phedon Papamichael (1st nomination)
★ "Prisoners" – Roger A. Deakins (11th nomination)

Best Costume Design: Winner ★ Catherine Martin, The Great Gatsby; My prediction, "The Invisible Woman" Michael O’Connor
★ "American Hustle" – Michael Wilkinson (1st nomination)
★ "The Grandmaster" - William Chang Suk Ping (1st nomination)
★ "The Great Gatsby" - Catherine Martin (6th nomination, won 2 Oscars "Moulin Rouge" Art Direction + Costume Design")
★ "The Invisible Woman" - Michael O’Connor (3rd nomination, won for "The Duchess")
★ "12 Years a Slave" - Patricia Norris (6th nomination)

Best Directing: Winner ★ “Gravity” Alfonso Cuarón; My prediction, “Gravity” Alfonso Cuarón (6th Oscar nomination)
★ "American Hustle" – David O. Russell (5th Oscar nomination)
★ "Gravity" - Alfonso Cuarón (6th Oscar nomination)
★ "Nebraska" - Alexander Payne (7 Oscar nominations, 2 Oscar wins)
★ "12 Years a Slave" - Steve McQueen (2nd Oscar nomination)
★ "The Wolf of Wall Street" - Martin Scorsese (12 Oscar nominations, one Oscar "The Departed")

Best Documentary Feature: Winner ★ “20 Feet from Stardom” Morgan Neville, Gil Friesen and Caitrin Rogers; My prediction, “20 Feet from Stardom” Morgan Neville, Gil Friesen and Caitrin Rogers
★ "The Act of Killing" – Joshua Oppenheimer and Signe Byrge Sørensen (1st nomination for both)
★ "Cutie and the Boxer" - Zachary Heinzerling and Lydia Dean Pilcher (1st nomination for both)
★ "Dirty Wars" - Richard Rowley and Jeremy Scahill (1st nomination for both)
★ "The Square" - Jehane Noujaim and Karim Amer (1st nomination for both)
★ "20 Feet from Stardom" - Morgan Neville, Gil Friesen and Caitrin Rogers (1st nomination for all 3)

Best Documentary Short Subject: Winner ★ "The Lady in Number 6: Music Saved My Life," Malcolm Clarke and Nicholas Reed ; My prediction, "CaveDigger" – Jeremy Karoff
★ "CaveDigger" – Jeremy Karoff (1st nomination)
★ "Facing Fear" - Jason Cohen (1st nomination)
★ "Karama Has No Walls" - Sara Ishaq (1st nomination)
★ "The Lady in Number 6: Music Saved My Life" - Malcolm Clarke and Nicholas Reed (3rd nomination for Malcolm Clarke, won 1 Oscar; 1st nomination for Reed)
★ "Prison Terminal: The Last Days of Private Jack Hall" - Edgar Barens (1st nomination)

Best Film Editing: Winner ★ "Gravity" - Alfonso Cuarón and Mark Sanger ; My prediction, "Gravity" - Alfonso Cuarón and Mark Sanger
★ "American Hustle" – Jay Cassidy, Crispin Struthers and Alan Baumgarten (3rd nomination for Cassidy, 2nd for Struthers, 1st for Baumgarten)
★ "Captain Phillips" - Christopher Rous (3rd nomination, 1 Oscar won for THE BOURNE ULTIMATUM in 2007)
★ "Dallas Buyers Club" - John Mac McMurphy and Martin Pensa
★ "Gravity" - Alfonso Cuarón and Mark Sanger (6th nomination for Cuarón; 1st for Sanger)
★ "12 Years a Slave" – Joe Walker (1st nomination)

Best Foreign Language Film: Winner ★ “The Great Beauty” Italy; My prediction, “The Great Beauty” Italy
★ "The Broken Circle Breakdown" - Belgium (7th nomination Belgium)
★ "The Great Beauty" - Italy (28th nomination for Italy with 11 Oscar wins counting 2014 Oscar)
★ "The Hunt" - Denmark (10th nomination, 3 Oscar wins)
★ "The Missing Picture" - Cambodia (1st nomination)
★ "Omar" - Palestine (2nd nomination)

Best Makeup and Hairstyling: Winner ★ Adruitha Lee and Robin Mathews, Dallas Buyer’s Club; My prediction, "The Lone Ranger" - Joel Harlow and Gloria Pasqua-Casny
★ "Dallas Buyers Club" – Adruitha Lee and Robin Mathews (1st Oscar nomination for both)
★ "Jackass Presents: Bad Grandpa" - Stephen Prouty (1st Oscar nomination)
★ "The Lone Ranger" - Joel Harlow and Gloria Pasqua-Casny (2nd nomination for Harlow, won Oscar for Star Trek; 1st nomination for Pasqua-Casny)

Best Music (Original Score): Winner ★ “Gravity” Steven Price; My prediction, “Gravity” Steven Price
★ "The Book Thief" – John Williams (49 nominations, won 5 Oscars)
★ "Gravity" - Steven Price (first Oscar nomination)
★ "Her" - William Butler and Owen Pallett (1st Oscar nomination)
★ "Philomena" - Alexandre Desplat (6th Oscar nomination)
★ "Saving Mr. Banks" - Thomas Newman (12 Oscar nominations)

Best Music (Original Song): Winner ★ “Let It Go” from “Frozen;” My prediction, “Let It Go” from “Frozen;” Music and Lyric by Kristen Anderson-Lopez and Robert Lopez
★ “Alone Yet Not Alone” from “Alone Yet Not Alone;" Music by Bruce Broughton; Lyric by Dennis Spiegel
★ “Happy” from “Despicable Me 2;” Music and Lyric by Pharrell Williams (1st Oscar nomination)
★ “Let It Go” from “Frozen;” Music and Lyric by Kristen Anderson-Lopez and Robert Lopez (1st Oscar nomination)
★ “The Moon Song” from “Her;” Music by Karen O; Lyric by Karen O and Spike Jonze (4th Oscar nomination for Spike Jonze; 1st Oscar nomination for Karen O)
★ “Ordinary Love” from “Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom;” Music by Paul Hewson, Dave Evans, Adam Clayton and Larry Mullen; Lyric by Paul Hewson (2nd nomination for all 4 nominees)

Best Production Design: Winner ★ “The Great Gatsby,” Production Design: Catherine Martin; Set Decoration: Beverley Dunn; My prediction, “Gravity” Production Design: Andy Nicholson; Set Decoration: Rosie Goodwin and Joanne Woollard, Third Oscar nomination for Katherine Martin
★ “American Hustle” Production Design: Judy Becker; Set Decoration: Heather Loeffler (1st nominations for both)
★ “Gravity” Production Design: Andy Nicholson; Set Decoration: Rosie Goodwin and Joanne Woollard (2nd nomination for Wollard; 1st for Goodwin and Nicholson)
★ “The Great Gatsby” Production Design: Catherine Martin; Set Decoration: Beverley Dunn (6th nomination for Martin who won 2 Oscars Art Direction + Costume Design MOULIN ROUGE (2001), 1st nomination for Dunn)
★ “Her” Production Design: K.K. Barrett; Set Decoration: Gene Serdena (1st Oscar nomination for both)
★ “12 Years a Slave” Production Design: Adam Stockhausen; Set Decoration: Alice Baker (1st Oscar nomination for both)

Best Short Film (Animated): Winner ★ “Mr. Hublot,” Laurent Witz and Alexandre Espigares; My prediction, “Feral” Daniel Sousa and Dan Golden
★ “Feral” Daniel Sousa and Dan Golden (1st nomination for both)
★ “Get a Horse!” Lauren MacMullan and Dorothy McKim
★ “Mr. Hublot” Laurent Witz and Alexandre Espigares
★ “Possessions” Shuhei Morita (1st Oscar nomination)
★ “Room on the Broom” Max Lang and Jan Lachauer (2nd Oscar nomination for Lang, 1st for Lachuer)

Best Short Film (Live Action): Winner ★ “Helium” Anders Walter and Kim Magnusson ; My prediction, “Helium” Anders Walter and Kim Magnusson
★ “Aquel No Era Yo (That Wasn’t Me)” Esteban Crespo (1st Oscar nomination)
★ “Avant Que De Tout Perdre (Just before Losing Everything)” Xavier Legrand and Alexandre Gavras (1st Oscar nomination for both)
★ “Helium” Anders Walter and Kim Magnusson (5th Oscar nomination for Magnusson, 1 Oscar win; 1st nomination for Walter)
★ “Pitääkö Mun Kaikki Hoitaa? (Do I Have to Take Care of Everything?)” Selma Vilhunen and Kirsikka Saari (1st Oscar nominations for both)
★ “The Voorman Problem” Mark Gill and Baldwin Li (1st Oscar nominations for both)

Best Sound Editing: Winner ★ “Gravity” Glenn Freemantle; My prediction, “Gravity” Glenn Freemantle
★ “All Is Lost” Steve Boeddeker and Richard Hymns (9th Oscar nomination for Hymns, won 3 Oscars; 1st nomination for Boeddeker)
★ “Captain Phillips” Oliver Tarney (1st Oscar nomination)
★ “Gravity” Glenn Freemantle (1st nomination)
★ “The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug” Brent Burge and Chris Ward (1st Oscar nomination for both)
★ “Lone Survivor” Wylie Stateman (7th Oscar nomination)

Best Sound Mixing: Winner ★ “Gravity” Skip Lievsay, Niv Adiri, Christopher Benstead and Chris Munro; My prediction, “Gravity” Skip Lievsay, Niv Adiri, Christopher Benstead and Chris Munro
★ “Captain Phillips” Chris Burdon, Mark Taylor, Mike Prestwood Smith and Chris Munro (Including "Gravity" 4th Oscar nomination for Munro who won 1 for Black Hawk Down; 1st nominations for Taylor, Prestwood and Smith)
★ “Gravity” Skip Lievsay, Niv Adiri, Christopher Benstead and Chris Munro (Including "Captain Phillips" 4th Oscar nomination for Munro who won 1 for Black Hawk Down; 6th nomination for Lievsay; 1st nomination for Adiri and Benstead)
★ “The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug” Christopher Boyes, Michael Hedges, Michael Semanick and Tony Johnson (14th Oscar nomination for Boyes, won 4 Oscars; 4th nomination for Hedges, won 2 Oscars; 10 nomination for Semanick, won 2 Oscars; 3rd Oscar nomination for Johnson)
★ “Inside Llewyn Davis” Skip Lievsay, Greg Orloff and Peter F. Kurland (6th Oscar nomination for Lievsay includes nomination for "Gravity;" 4th nomination for Orloff, 1 Oscar win; 4th nominatin for Kurland0
★ “Lone Survivor” Andy Koyama, Beau Borders and David Brownlow (1st nomination for all nominees)

Best Visual Effects: Winner ★ “Gravity,” Tim Webber, Chris Lawrence, Dave Shirk and Neil Corbould; My prediction, “Gravity” Tim Webber, Chris Lawrence, Dave Shirk and Neil Corbould
★ “Gravity” Tim Webber, Chris Lawrence, Dave Shirk and Neil Corbould (2nd nomination for Webber; 4th nomination for Corbould, 1 Oscar win; 1st nomination for Lawrence and Shirk)
★ “The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug” Joe Letteri, Eric Saindon, David Clayton and Eric Reynolds (8th nomination for Letteri, 4 Oscar wins; 2nd nonimation for Saindon; 2nd nominatin for Clayton; 1st nomination for Reynolds)
★ “Iron Man 3” Christopher Townsend, Guy Williams, Erik Nash and Dan Sudick (6th Oscar nomination for Sudick; 3rd nomination for Nash; 2nd for Williams; 1st for Townsend)
★ “The Lone Ranger” Tim Alexander, Gary Brozenich, Edson Williams and John Frazier (11th Oscar nomination for Frazier; 1st nomination for Alexander, Brozenich and Williams)
★ “Star Trek Into Darkness” Roger Guyett, Patrick Tubach, Ben Grossmann and Burt Dalton (3rd Oscar nomination for Guyett; 3rd nomination for Dalton, 1 Oscar win; 2nd nomination for Grossman, 1 Oscar win; 1st nomination for Tubach0

Best Writing (Adapted Screenplay): Winner ★ “12 Years a Slave” Screenplay by John Ridley; My prediction, “12 Years a Slave” Screenplay by John Ridley
★ “Before Midnight” Written by Richard Linklater, Julie Delpy, Ethan Hawke (3rd Oscar nomination for Hawke; 2nd nomination for Linklater and Delpy)
★ “Captain Phillips” Screenplay by Billy Ray (1st Oscar nomination for Ray)
★ “Philomena” Screenplay by Steve Coogan and Jeff Pope (2nd Oscar nomination for Coogan; 1st nomination for Pope)
★ “12 Years a Slave” Screenplay by John Ridley (1st Oscar nomination for Ridley)
★ “The Wolf of Wall Street” Screenplay by Terence Winter (1st Oscar nomination for Winter)

Best Writing (Original Screenplay): Winner ★ “Her,” Spike Jonze; My prediction, “American Hustle” Written by Eric Warren Singer and David O. Russell
★ “American Hustle” Written by Eric Warren Singer and David O. Russell (5th nomination for Russell includes Best Directing nomination for "American Hustle;" 1st nomination for Singer)
★ “Blue Jasmine” Written by Woody Allen (24th Oscar nomination for Allen; 4 Oscar wins)
★ “Dallas Buyers Club” Written by Craig Borten & Melisa Wallack (1st Oscar nomination)
★ “Her” Written by Spike Jonze (4th Oscar nomination for Spike Jonze)
★ “Nebraska” Written by Bob Nelson (1st Oscar nomination for Nelson)

The Oscars are voted on by members of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. More information on the voting process is available at the Academy's website Oscar.com.

Photo of Ellen DeGeneres courtesy of Wikimedia; Photo of Oscar Award statue courtesy of FreeDigitalPhotos; Screen shot of Ellen DeGeneres Twitter account taken from my computer.


Additional resources:
♦ 2014 Oscar nominations: ‘Gravity,’ and ‘Hustle’ lead with 10 nominations including best picture, Los Angeles Times, http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/envelope/moviesnow/la-et-mn-oscar-nominations-2014-main,0,500124.story#axzz2qZqycltO
♦ Oscar.com 2014 nominations, http://www.oscars.org/awards/academyawards/86/nomineesByPicture.html
♦ Who’s gonna get picked ? Predicting the 2014 Oscar nominations http://www.cnn.com/2014/01/15/showbiz/movies/2014-oscar-predictions-nominations/
♦ Meet the 2014 Oscar Nominees, RottenTomatoes http://www.cnn.com/2014/01/15/showbiz/movies/2014-oscar-predictions-nominations/
♦ Jennifer Lawrence to Present at 86th ANNUAL ACADEMY AWARDS, BroadwaWorld.com, http://www.broadwayworld.com/bwwtv/article/Jennifer-Lawrence-to-Present-at-86th-ANNUAL-ACADEMY-AWARDS-20140214#ZAexyVhJtR8ihioZ.99
♦ Jared Leto Dating Lupita Nyong'o? 2014 Oscar Nominees' Rumored Romance Revealed, International Business News, http://www.ibtimes.com/jared-leto-dating-lupita-nyongo-2014-oscar-nominees-rumored-romance-revealed-1555605

This article will be updated during The 86th Academy Awards, March 2nd, 2014 with the Academy Award winners. Please visit this blog frequently and share this with your social media.

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Thanks for visiting.

The 85th Oscars Awards, February 24th, 2013

“I am honored to be here. Honestly, I’m honored everyone else said no.” ~~ ~~ Seth MacFarlane , actor, voice actor, animator, screenwriter, comedian, producer, director and host of the 85th Oscars, Feb. 24, 2013

“This is one night I wish I smoked and drank” ~~ Grace Kelly , American actress, 1955 Academy Award winner, and Princess of Monaco, as quoted at the 1954 Academy Awards

BEST PICTURE - My pick: Argo - Winner: "Argo," Ben Afleck (producer/director) Grant Heslov, George Clooney (7 Oscar nominations and winning 3 Oscars)
Amour, TBD, Producer
Argo, Grant Heslov, Ben Affleck and George Clooney,Producers
Beasts of the Southern Wild, Dan Janvey, Josh Penn and Michael Gottwald,Producers
Django Unchained, Stacey Sher, Reginald Hudlin and Pilar Savone, Producers
Les Misérables, Tim Bevan, Eric Fellner, Debra Hayward, Cameron Mackintosh, Producers
Life of Pi, Gil Netter, Ang Lee and David Womark, Producers
Lincoln, Steven Spielberg and Kathleen Kennedy, Producers
Silver Linings Playbook, Donna Gigliotti, Bruce Cohen and Jonathan Gordon, Producers
Zero Dark Thirty, Mark Boal, Kathryn Bigelow and Megan Ellison, Producers

Actor in a Leading Role - My pick: Daniel Day Lewis - Winner: Daniel Day-Lewis, “Lincoln” (3rd Oscar, 1st actor to win 3 Oscars in the lead actor category)
Bradley Cooper, Silver Linings Playbook
Daniel Day-Lewis, Lincoln
Hugh Jackman, Les Misérables
Joaquin Phoenix, The Master
Denzel Washington, Flight

Actor in a Supporting Role - My pick: Robert DeNiro - Winner: Christoph Waltz, Django Unchained
Alan Arkin, Argo
Robert De Niro, Silver Linings Pla ybook
Philip Seymour Hoffman, The Master
Tommy Lee Jones, Lincoln
Christoph Waltz, Django Unchained

Actress in a Leading Role - My pick: Emmanuelle Riva - Winner: Jennifer Lawrence, Silver Linings Playbook (1st Oscar, 2nd nomination, 1st nomination was for "Winters Bones")
Jessica Chastain, Zero Dark Thirty
Jennifer Lawrence, Silver Linings Playbook
Emmanuelle Riva, Amour
Quvenzhané Wallis, Beasts of the Southern Wild
Naomi Watts, The Impossible

Actress in a Supporting Role - My pick: Anne Hathaway or Sally Field - Winner: Anne Hathaway, Les Misérables (1st Oscar, 2nd Oscar nomination, 1st nomination for Rachel Getting Married)
Amy Adams, The Master
Sally Field, Lincoln
Anne Hathaway, Les Misérables
Helen Hunt, The Sessions
Jacki Weaver, Silver Linings Playbook

Animate d Feature Film - My pick: Frankenweenie - Winner: “Brave,” Mark Andrews and Brenda Chapman
Brave, Mark Andrews and Brenda Chapman
Frankenweenie, Tim Burton
ParaNorman, Sam Fell and Chris Butler
The Pirates! Band of Misfits Peter Lord
Wreck-It Ralph Rich Moore

CINEMATOGRAPHY - My pick: Life of Pi - Winner: Life of Pi, Claudio Miranda
Anna Karenina, Seamus McGarvey,
Django Unchained, Robert Richardson,
Life of Pi, Claudio Miranda
Lincoln, Janusz Kaminski
Skyfall, Roger Deakins

COSTUME DESIGN - My pick: Lincoln, Joanna Johnston - Winner: Anna Karenina, Jacqueline Durran
Anna Karenina, Jacqueline Durran
Les Misérables, Paco Delgado
Lincoln, Joanna Johnston
Mirror Mirror, Eiko Ishioka
Snow White and the Huntsman, Colleen Atwood

DIRECTING - My pick: Ang Lee, Life of Pi - Winner: Ang Lee, "Life of Pi" (2nd Best Director Oscar win, 1st was for "Brokeback Mountain")
Amour, Michael Haneke
Beasts of the Southern Wild, Benh Zeitlin
Life of Pi, Ang Lee
Lincoln, Steven Spielberg
Silver Linings Playbook, David O. Russell

DOCUMENTARY FEATURE - My pick: Searching for Sugar Man - Winner: Searching for Sugar Man,” Malik Bendjelloul
5 Broken Cameras, Emad Burnat and Guy Davidi
The Gatekeepers, TBD
How to Survive a Plague, TBD
The Invisible War, TBD
Searching for Sugar Man, TBD

Documentary Short Subject - My pick: Open Heart - Winner: “Inocente,” Sean Fine and Andrea Nix Fine
Inocente, Sean Fine and Andrea Nix Fine
Kings Point, Sari Gilman and Jedd Wider
Mondays at Racine, Cynthia Wade and Robin Honan
Open Heart, Kief Davidson and Cori Shepherd Stern
Redemption, Jon Alpert and Matthew O’Neill

FILM EDITING - My pick: Argo - Winner: Winner: Argo, William Goldenberg
Argo, William Goldenberg
Life of Pi, Tim Squyres
Lincoln, Michael Kahn
Silver Linings Playbook, Jay Cassidy and Crispin Struthers
Zero Dark Thirty, Dylan Tichenor and William Goldenberg

Foreign Langua ge Film - My pick: Amour - Winner: Amour, Austria (2nd time Austria has won in this category)
Amour, Austria
Kon-Tiki, Norway
No, Chile
A Royal Affair, Denmark
War Witch, Canada

MAKEUP and hairstyling - My pick: Les Miserables - Winner: Les Misérables, Lisa Westcott and Julie Dartnell
Hitchcock, Howard Berger, Peter Montagna and Martin Samuel
The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey, Peter Swords King, Rick Findlater and Tami Lane
Les Misérables, Lisa Westcott and Julie Dartnell

Music (Original Score)- My pick: Lincoln, John Williams - Winner: "Life of Pi," Mychael Danna (1st Oscar, 2nd nomination)
Anna Karenina, Dario Marianelli
Argo, Alexandre Desplat
Life of Pi, Mychael Danna
Lincoln, John Williams
Skyfall, Thomas Newman

Music (Original Song)- My pick: Skyfall - Winner: Skyfall, Skyfall, Music and Lyric by Adele Adkins and Paul Epworth (1st Oscar and 1st nomination for both)
Before My Time, Chasing Ice, Music and Lyric by J. Ralph
Everybody Needs A Best Friend, Ted, Music by Walter Murphy, Lyric by Seth MacFarlane
Pi’s Lullaby, Life of Pi, Music by Mychael Danna, Lyric by Bombay Jayashri
Skyfall, Skyfall, Music and Lyric by Adele Adkins and Paul Epworth
Suddenly, Les Misérables, Music by Claude-Michel Schönberg, Lyric by Herbert Kretzmer and Alain Boublil

Production Design - My pick: Life of Pi – Winner:"Lincoln," Production Design: Rick Carter (2nd Oscar, 4th nomintion); Set Decoration: Jim Erickson (1st Oscar, 2nd nomination)
Anna Karenina, Production Design: Sarah Greenwood; Set Decoration: Katie Spencer
The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey, Production Design: Dan Hennah; Set Decoration: Ra Vincent and Simon Bright
Les Misérables, Production Design: Eve Stewart; Set Decoration: Anna Lynch-Robinson
Life of Pi, Production Design: David Gropman; Set Decoration: Anna Pinnock
Lincoln, Production Design: Rick Carter; Set Decoration: Jim Erickson

Short Film (Animated) - My pick: The Longest Day Care - Winner: “Paperman,” John Kahrs
Adam and Dog, Minkyu Lee
Fresh Guacamole, PES
Head over Heels, Timothy Reckart and Fodhla Cronin O’Reilly
Maggie Simpson in “The Longest Day Care” David Silverman
Paperman, John Kahrs

Short Film (Live Action) - My pick: Asad - Winner: “Curfew,” Shawn Christensen
Asad, Bryan Buckley and Mino Jarjoura
Buzkashi Boys, Sam French and Ariel Nasr
Curfew, Shawn Christensen
Death of a Shadow (Dood van eenSchaduw), Tom Van Avermaet and Ellen De Waele
Henry, Yan England

SOUND EDITING - Argo - Winner: Zero Da rk Thirty, Paul N.J. Ottosson and Skyfall, Per Hallberg and Karen Baker Landers
Argo, Erik Aadahl and Ethan Van der Ryn
Django Unchained, Wylie Stateman
Life of Pi, Eugene Gearty and Philip Stockton
Skyfall, Per Hallberg and Karen Baker Landers
Zero Da rk Thirty, Paul N.J. Ottosson

SOUND MIXING - My pick: Life of Pi - Winner: Les Misérables, Andy Nelson, Mark Paterson and Simon Hayes
Argo, John Reitz, Gregg Rudloff and Jose Antonio Garcia
Les Misérables, Andy Nelson, Mark Paterson and Simon Hayes
Life of Pi, Ron Bartlett, D.M. Hemphill and Drew Kunin
Lincoln, Andy Nelson, Gary Rydstrom and Ronald Judkins
Skyfall, Scott Millan, Greg P. Russell and Stuart Wilson

VISUAL EFFECTS - My pick: Life of Pi - Winner: “Life of Pi,” Bill Westenhofer, Guillaume Rocheron,Erik-Jan De Boer and Donald R. Elliott
The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey, Joe Letteri, Eric Saindon, David Clayton and R.
Christopher White
Life of Pi, Bill Westenhofer, Guillaume Rocheron,Erik-Jan De Boer and Donald R. Elliott
Marvel’s The Avengers, Janek Sirrs, Jeff White, Guy Williams and Dan Sudick
Prometheus, Richard Stammers, Trevor Wood, Charley Henley and Martin Hill
Snow White and the Huntsman, Cedric Nicolas-Troyan, Philip Brennan, Neil Corbould and Michael Dawson

Writing (Adapted Screenplay) - My pick: Argo - Winner: "Argo," Screenplay by Chris Terrio
Argo, Screenplay by Chris Terrio
Beasts of the Southern Wild, Screenplay by Lucy Alibar & Benh Zeitlin
Life of Pi, Screenplay by David Magee
Lincoln, Screenplay by Tony Kushner
Silver Linings Playbook, Screenplay by David O. Russell

Writing (Original Screenplay)- My pick: Zero Dark Thirty - Winner: Django Unchained, Written by Quentin Tarantino (2nd Oscar and 2nd nomination, 1st Oscar was for Pulp Fiction)
Amour, Written by Michael Haneke
Django Unchained, Written by Quentin Tarantino
Flight, Written by John Gatins
Moonrise Kingdom, Written by Wes Anderson & Roman Coppola
Zero Dark Thirty, Written by Mark Boal

Who and what films do you believe will receive Oscars? It’s not too late to cast your ballot on the official Oscar website http://oscar.go.com . Simply register, pick your winners and follow the links to share on Facebook and Twitter.

See my Oscar picks at http://oscar.go.com/mypicks#user=gloriabuonodaly

All photos courtesy of Wikimedia and screen shots taken from video and websites. All other photos will be credited as required.




Additional resources:
♦ Seth MacFarlane and Emma Stone announce 2013 Oscar nominations: ‘Lincoln’ tops the list with 12 nominations
♦ Oscar Nominations 2013: Which Stars and Movies Got Nods?, U.S. Weekly http://www.usmagazine.com/entertainment/news/oscar-nominations-2013-which-stars-and-movies-got-nods-2013101
♦ Oscars Nominations 2013: Seth MacFarlane & Emma Stone Announce Honorees, Huffington Post http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/01/10/oscars-nominations-2013_n_2435207.html
♦ Oscar News, http://oscar.go.com/blogs/oscar-news/seth-macfarlane-emma-stone-announcement
♦ Oscar Nominees 2013, Oscar website http://oscar.go.com/nominees
♦ Oscar Homepage, http://oscar.go.com/
♦ Oscar Announcement, Oscar Website http://oscar.go.com/blogs/oscar-news/seth-macfarlane-emma-stone-announcement
♦ ‘Lincoln’ Leads Oscar Field With 12 Nominations, The Carpetbagger http://carpetbagger.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/01/10/oscar-2013-nominations/
♦ Live updates: 'Lincoln' tops Oscar nominations; Affleck misses out , Los Angeles Times http://carpetbagger.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/01/10/oscar-2013-nominations/
♦ Oscars 2013: Afghan boy's astonishing journey to the Academy Awards, The Telegraph

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Jane Fonda turns 75

" The challenge is not to be perfect … it’s to be whole … When you can't remember why you're hurt, that's when you're healed ..."
~~ Jane Fonda
Two-time Academy Award ® winning actress, writer, political activist, feminist, former fashion model, and fitness guru



Happy 75th birthday to Jane Fonda. Fonda was born in New York City and daughter of actor Henry Fonda and the Canadian-born socialite Frances Ford Seymour Brokaw (Henry Fonda's 2nd wife).

Her mother committed suicide on her 42nd birthday (April 14, 1950) at a sanitarium in Beacon, New York State where she had been hospitalized due to “emotional deterioration and suicidal tendencies.”

Jane was only 12 years old when her mother died and was told that her mother had died of a heart attack. Later that year (1950) Fonda's father married 22-year-old socialite Susan Blanchard, nine years his daughter's senior; the marriage ended in divorce in 6 years.


Fonda rose to fame in the 1960s with films such as Barbarella and Cat Ballou. She has won two Academy Awards and received several other movie awards and nominations during more than 50 years as an actress. She retired from acting in 1990 and returned to film in 2005 with Monster in Law, followed by Georgia Rule two years later. She also produced and starred in over 20 exercise videos released between 1982 and 1995, and once again in 2010.

Fonda attended the Emma Willard School in Troy, New York, and Vassar College in Poughkeepsie, but dropped out to become a fashion model. She was twice featured on the cover of Vogue .

Exercise those smile muscles and feel your best both mentally and physically with these simple steps that can be applied to your everyday life habits. Tune in to BeFit for more Prime Time Health Tips from Jane Fonda every Tuesday "
~~ Jane Fonda:
Prine Time Health – Smiling

On April 5, 2005, Random House released Fonda's autobiography “My Life So Far” which describes her life as a series of three, 30-year long acts, and declares that her third "act" will be her most significant, due in part to her commitment to the Christian religion, and that it will determine the things for which she will be remembered.




Also in 2005, Fonda worked alongside Robin Morgan and Gloria Steinem to co-found the Women's Media Center, an organization that works to amplify the voices of women in the media through advocacy, media and leadership training, and the creation of original content. Fonda currently serves on the board of the organization. Since 2001, Fonda has been a Christian. She published an autobiography in 2005, and in 2011, she published a second memoir, Prime Time.

"I longed for him to love me and see me as an able grown-up.”
~~ Jane Fonda, of her father as quoted from her 2005 book “My Life So Far”.
Photo R, screen capture from "On Golden Pond."

The Incredible “Hanoing” Jane controversy: Jane Fonda on the NVA anti-aircraft gun. HANOI JANE controversial photo outraged Americans who labeled her “Hanoi Jane.”. In her 2005 autobiography, she writes that she was manipulated into sitting on the battery; she had been horrified at the implications of the pictures and regretted they were taken.

" I would like to say something, not just to Vietnam veterans in New England, but to men who were in Vietnam, who I hurt, or whose pain I caused to deepen because of things that I said or did. I was trying to help end the killing and the war, but there were times when I was thoughtless and careless about it and I'm very sorry that I hurt them. And I want to apologize to them and their families ... I will go to my grave regretting the photograph of me in an anti-aircraft gun, which looks like I was trying to shoot at American planes. It hurt so many soldiers. It galvanized such hostility. It was the most horrible thing I could possibly have done. It was just thoughtless."
~~ Jane Fonda, expressing regret for her actions regarding Vietnam veterans in a 1988 interview with Barbara Walters



All photos courtesy of Wikimedia and screen shots taken from video and websites. All other photos will be credited as required.




Additional resources:
♦Jane Fonda official website http://JaneFonda.com
♦ Jane Fonda: Prime Time Health - Smiling http://janefonda.com/jane-fonda-prime-time-health-smiling/
♦Jane Fonda in North Vietnam http://www.rjgeib.com/thoughts/fonda/fonda.html
♦My Vietnamese Experience http://usastruck.com/tag/barbara-walters-jane-fonda-interview/
♦ Trailer Video "On Golden Pond." http://janefonda.com/on-golden-pond/
♦Jane Fonda describes her experience shooting a scene in "On Golden Pond" in which her character opens up to her father. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ePrAPtP1k4A

Please bookmark, subscribe and share with your social media and other professional networks. Thanks! All photos courtesy of Wikimedia unless otherwise indicagted.