Oscar Photos

Christian Bale (Best Supporting Actor)
Natalie Portman (Best Actress)
Melissa Leo (Best Supporting Actress)
Colin Firth (Best Actor)
2011

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Fun Shoots

For the past few years, Newsweek has done various interviews with possible Oscar nominees. Here are some of the shots from past Oscars Actors Roundtables. The Roundtables took place before Oscar nominations were announced for that particular year. These actors were asked to participate because they were all front-runners.

2007: Brad Pitt (Babel), Forest Whitaker (The Last King of Scotland), Leonardo DiCaprio (Blood Diamond), Helen Mirren (The Queen), Penelope Cruz (Volver), and Cate Blanchett (Notes on a Scandal)

*Pitt did not receive a nomination that year

*Whitaker and Mirren won Oscars that year

2008: Daniel Day-Lewis (There Will Be Blood), Ellen Page (Juno), Marion Cotillard (La Vie en Rose), Angelina Jolie (A Mighty Heart), James McAvoy (Atonement), and George Clooney (Michael Clayton)

*McAvoy and Jolie did not receive nominations that year

*Day-Lewis and Cotillard won Oscars that year

2009: Mickey Rourke (The Wrestler), Brad Pitt (The Curious Case of Benjamin Button), and Frank Langella (Frost/Nixon)

Not pictured: Robert Downey, Jr.(Tropic Thunder), and Sally Hawkins (Happy-Go-Lucky)

*Hawkins did not receive a nomination that year

2010: Woody Harrelson (The Messanger), Morgan Freeman (Invictus), Gaboruey Sidibe (Precious), Jeff Bridges (Crazy Heart), Carey Mulligan (An Education), and Sandra Bullock (The Blind Side)

*Bridges and Bullock won Oscars that year

2011: James Franco (127 Hours), Nicole Kidman (Rabbit Hole), Michelle Williams (Blue Valentine), Colin Firth (The King's Speech), Annette Bening (The Kids Are All Right), and Natalie Portman (Black Swan)

*Firth and Portman won Oscars that year

2012: Michael Fassbender (Shame), Charlize Theron (Young Adult), Christopher Plummer (Beginners), Tilda Swinton (We Need to Talk About Kevin), George Clooney (The Descendants), and Viola Davis (The Help)

*Fassbender, Theron, and Swinton did not receive nominations that year

*Plummer won an Oscar that year

Quote of the Day

"You look like a pumpkin, BITCH!!!"

Natalie Portman as 'Emma', "No Strings Attached", 2011

Ginger of the Week

Piper Laurie (Jan. 22, 1932) hails from Detroit and is the daughter of a furniture dealer and his wife. She signed a contract with Universal Studios at age 16 and had her breakthrough role in the film "Louisa". She started to work steadily from then on. It was her Oscar nominated role in "The Hustler" that put her on the map. She was nominated two more times for her performances in "Carrie" and "Children of a Lesser God". Since then she has costarred in "The Faculty", "Other People's Money", "The Dead Girl", and "Hounddog". She'll next appear in "Hesher" with Natalie Portman, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, and Rainn Wilson.

Movie Mash-Up

*an orphaned young girl goes to her mother's funeral in New Jersey*

Brit of the Week

Idris Elba (Sept. 6, 1972) hails from London, the son of a Ghanaian mother and father from Sierra Leone. He started out with a passion for DJing and even won a place in the National Youth Music Theatre. He landed his first role in 1995 on the series "Bramwell". He then got roles in shows like, "Degrees of Error", "The Bill", and "The Governor". He got his biggest break when he was cast as 'Stringer' in HBO's "The Wire". Since then he has become known for his work in films like "Obsessed", "Little Girls", "28 Weeks Later", and "American Gangster" and also for his recurring role on the NBC show "The Office". Next up: "Thor" (with Natalie Portman), "Ghost Rider 2" (with Nicolas Cage), and "Prometheus" (with Michael Fassbender and Charlize Theron).

Did You Know...

... Actor Natalie Portman (aka Natalie Hershlag) was born in Jerusalem, Israel to an American mother and Israeli father. Portman moved to Washington DC in 1984, at the age of three.

Best Dressed - 2011 Academy Awards

Trends of the Evening: sequins (Amy, Hailee, Michelle, Mandy, Hilary, Halle), purples (Mila, Cate, Natalie, Scarlett), reds (Penelope, Jennifer, Sandra), emerald accessories (Reese, Amy, Annette), highlights (Penelope, Natalie, Anne, Mila), and bobs (Scarlett, Marisa, Michelle, Cate, Helen)

BEST OVERALL LOOK:

Michelle Williams (is the #1 look of the night with this beautiful sequins dress and fabulous short 'do), Jennifer Lawrence (after a terrible looking awards season, Lawrence nailed the show that really counts. She took Scarlett's look from the Globes a few years back and made it better), Reese Witherspoon (tones down the classic Barbie look and makes it her own. She looks so chic)

BEST DRESS:

Mila Kunis (she doesn't like to play it safe and it finally paid off. She looks perfect in this lilac number. The color goes so well with her olive skin), Natalie Portman (it's hard to find a great dress when you're pregnant, but Natalie picked the right one with this beautiful, flowy Rodarte gown)

Sandra Bullock (she hasn't worked in a year and a half, but she sure knows how to wear a great dress), Melissa Leo (I know many would disagree, but I love this dress. The cut works so well on Melissa's body and apparently the crochet look is in), Jennifer Hudson (try and pull your eyes away from that disgusting hair for a minute and take a look at this incredible dress. It shows off all of Jennifer's curves and the color looks great on her skin)

BEST HAIR:

Cate Blanchett (this is a wonderful cut for her. She looks gorgeous), Helen Mirren (she goes with a young, chic bob and it looks fabulous on her)

Scarlett Johansson (I know it's messy, but I love that she went back to her "Lost in Translation" color and it just works on her), Marisa Tomei (she did the cleaner version of Scarlett's hair and I think it looks great. Can you believe this lady is nearly 50?)

WORST OVERALL LOOK:

Sharon Stone (I don't know if it's the Snooki-poof or the homage to "Black Swan", but Sharon... I'm very disappointed. I expected more from you), Florence Welch (I only learned who this girl was a few weeks ago at the Grammy's, but she is obviously an odd-ball. She's wearing curtains), Helena Bonham Carter (our list wouldn't be complete without our favorite Queen of Bad. Keep on keeping on, Helena)

WORST DRESS:

Nicole Kidman (this is just so hideous. I don't know what Kidman has been thinking. I have heard of something called 'mommy brain', so maybe that explains it), Marisa Tomei (in some shots this doesn't look so bad, but you can see for yourself that this gown is horrid.), Cate Blanchett (I was on the fence about this one. Overall, I think Cate looks marvelous, but the dress by itself is so weird. She looks like a vanity table)

WORST HAIR:

Jennifer Hudson (and the #1 worst hair of the evening goes to the one who wore the terrible hairpiece/wig. I am so confused with this one. Jennifer looked stunning at the Grammy's... why would she go this route for the Oscars?)

Mila Kunis (I'm so sick of these stiff, odd 'dos. Mila should have learned from Kate Winslet's Oscar mistake. Don't wear a football helmet to the Oscars), Natalie Portman (I know that she's pregnant and probably very tired, but the half-assed style is not cutting it. You won an Oscar honey, kick it up a notch)

Hailee Steinfeld (She's completely adorable and I know she's only 14, but this isn't the prom. Ditch the headband and let your beautiful hair down), Amy Adams (so at this point in the evening, Amy's hair wasn't so bad. Fast forward to her presenting and you will see why this didn't work. It was messy and got very frizzy. Plus with that semi-high collar, she should have gone with an up 'do)

HONORABLE MENTION:

Penelope Cruz (This dress is pretty, but it treads a little too close to Vegas showgirl. She looks fabulous though, especially considering she had a baby a few weeks ago), Helen Mirren (Dame Helen never disappoints. She would have made best overall, but I'm not feeling the color of the gown), Scarlett Johansson (I love this. The cut of the dress is spectacular and she went with a crochet look, much like Melissa Leo. I'm not too excited about the color and the fact that you can kind of see through it. Cameron Diaz should take a note from her. This is how you do the messy 'do),

Gwyneth Paltrow (despite her heinous performance, she started out the night well. I like this simple, gold gown. She is sort of channeling Sandra Bullock from last year's Oscars though), Amy Adams (I like the dress a lot. Love that cut and the sequins. I hate her hair and the fact that she added the emerald necklace and bracelet. It clashes and why do you need jewelry with a sparkling gown such as this), Halle Berry (beautiful as always, but the bottom of the dress is yuck. She should have gone sans tulle)

Academy Awards (2010 films) WINNERS

*(my pick)

+(my guess)

Best Picture

"Black Swan"

"The Fighter"

"Inception"

"The Kids Are All Right"

+*"The King’s Speech"

"127 Hours"

"The Social Network"

"Toy Story 3"

"True Grit"

"Winter’s Bone"

Actor

Javier Bardem, "Biutiful"

*Jeff Bridges, "True Grit"

Jesse Eisenberg, "The Social Network"

+Colin Firth, "The King's Speech"

James Franco, "127 Hours"

Actress

Annette Bening, "The Kids Are All Right"

Nicole Kidman, "Rabbit Hole"

Jennifer Lawrence, "Winter's Bone"

+*Natalie Portman, "Black Swan"

Michelle Williams, "Blue Valentine"

Supporting Actor

+Christian Bale, "The Fighter"

John Hawkes, "Winter's Bone"

*Jeremy Renner, "The Town"

Mark Ruffalo, "The Kids Are All Right"

Geoffrey Rush, "The King's Speech"

Supporting Actress

Amy Adams, "The Fighter"

Helena Bonham Carter, "The King's Speech"

+*Melissa Leo, "The Fighter"

Hailee Steinfeld, "True Grit"

Jacki Weaver, "Animal Kingdom"

Director

*Darren Aronofsky, "Black Swan"

David O. Russell, "The Fighter"

+Tom Hooper, "The King's Speech"

David Fincher, "The Social Network"

Joel Coen and Ethan Coen, "True Grit"

Animated Feature

"How to Train Your Dragon"

*"The Illusionist"

+"Toy Story 3"

Adapted Screenplay

"127 Hours"

+*"The Social Network"

"Toy Story 3"

"True Grit"

"Winter’s Bone"

Original Screenplay

"Another Year"

"The Fighter"

"Inception"

*"The Kids Are All Right"

+"The King’s Speech"

Foreign Language Film

+"Biutiful"

"Dogtooth"

"In a Better world"

"Incendies"

"Outside the Law"

Art Direction

*"Alice in Wonderland"

"Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part I"

+"Inception"

"The King's Speech"

"True Grit"

Cinematography

“Black Swan”

+*“Inception”

“The King's Speech”

“The Social Network”

“True Grit”

Costume Design

*"Alice in Wonderland"

"I Am Love"

+"The King's Speech"

"The Tempest"

"True Grit"

Documentary Feature

*"Exit Through the Gift Shop"

"Gasland"

"Inside Job"

"Restrepo"

+"Waste Land"

Documentary Short

"Killing in the Name"

"Poster Girl"

"Strangers No More"

"Sun Come Up"

+"The Warriors of Qiugang"

Film Editing

*"Black Swan"

"The Fighter"

"The King's Speech"

"127 Hours"

+"The Social Network"

Makeup

+*“Barney's Version”

“The Way Back”

“The Wolfman”

Sound Mixing

+*“Inception” (congrats Gary)

“The King's Speech”

“Salt”

“The Social Network”

“True Grit”

Original Score

“How to Train Your Dragon”

“Inception”

+*“The King's Speech”

“127 Hours”

“The Social Network”

Visual Effects

“Alice in Wonderland”

“Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1”

“Hereafter”

+*“Inception”

“Iron Man 2”

Original Song

“Coming Home” from “Country Strong”

“I See the Light” from “Tangled”

*“If I Rise” from “127 Hours”

+“We Belong Together” from “Toy Story 3"

Sound Editing

+*"Inception"

"Toy Story 3"

"Tron: Legacy"

"True Grit"

"Unstoppable"

Animated Short Film

"Day & Night"

"The Gruffalo"

+"Let's Pollute"

"The Lost Thing"

"Madagascar, carnet de voyage" ("Madagascar, a Journey Diary")

Live Action Short Film

"The Confession"

"The Crush"

+"God of Love"

"Na Wewe"

"Wish 143"