Don't know who cares... but:

Michael B. Jordan and Kristen Bell are hosting the Academy Arts and Sciences' Scientific and Technical Awards. (Feb 15)

No one, actually.

I care Chip.

*swoon*

Wait, Michael Jordan...like the basketball player, or am I just lacking in pop cultural knowledge with the addition of the B meaning something?

African American actor. Star of Fruitvale Station and That Awkward Moment.

And yes, I'm fairly certain he uses his middle initial to make sure people don't mix him up with the black hitler.

Why is Michael Jordan the black hitler?

The moustache.

Sorry. Sorry. Sorry.

Dylan Farrow sure is expertly campaigning for Amy Adams and Sandra Bullock.

Sorry.

All these crazy controversies, or weird campaign stunts are hitting right now. Like Ron Woodroof was actually "bisexual" or a "non-homophobe" according to "acquaintances", or the actual Philomena(Philomania) Lee meeting the Pope. And there's still almost a month until the show.

I listened to the now 4 nominees for best original song. Wasn't a big fan of the song from Her. It was good, just REALLY slow.

The other 3 I really liked. However, Happy is the most fun and the least conventional, so I'm rooting for that one. It's also in the top 10 on the Billboard Hot 100 right now. Clap along.

Are U2 and Pharrell Williams going to perform their songs at the awards? That would be pretty awesome.

As much as I like listening to Happy... I have no idea when it occured in the movie. Was it the first credits song? Doesn't the song have to at least remind you of the film? Happy doesn't do that for me.

Briefly I think it's worth mentioning how terrific it is to have the two front runners both be really strong films made by young visionaries like Steve McQueen and Alfonso Cuaron. Well, assuming American Hustle doesn't pull a Crash...

Alfonso Cuarón is 52 and it's not the first time he has shown vision. David O. Russell is just three years odler than Cuarón. Unless you also think that young visionary Martin Scorsese was luckily nominated as well. In fact Russell has directed just as many films as Cuarón did so far.

As for McQueen, I don't think one can really call 12 Years a Slave visionary. Very good, yes, but probably not visionary. It was his most "standard" directing to date.

Alfonso Cuarón has a bit of an unusual career arc. It is almost as if he began anew with the art-house triumph of Y tu mamá también and then, of course, Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban and Children of Men. In reality, this was just a repeat of his '90s progression from Sólo con tu pareja to studio fare such as A Little Princess and Great Expectations, but on a grander scale.

I sense a lot of people who are now huge fans ignore the earlier era of his career.

A Little Princess is crazy underrated. Great movie.

Good call. I consider Cuarón one of my favorite directors based on Y tu Mama Tambien, Gravity, and especially Children of Men (all time favorite)..... but those 90's films were completely off my radar. I'll have to check them out.

Russell is another favorite director of mine, starting with Three Kings, I Heart Huckabees (another all time favorite), the Fighter, and Silver Linings Playbook. Haven't seen his other fare.

I'm not a 'proper' film snob, but its fun to see directors whose previous works I LOVE get recognized on a big scale. Kind of like Aranofsky with Black Swan (previous favorites being Pi, Requiem, and especially The Fountain).

McQueen on the other hand? I hated Hunger, I disliked Shame, and I'll probably never see 12 Years a Slave, which will win the Oscar this year.

Assuming there is a BP/BD split this year...when was the last time there have been two splits in a row?

As far as I can see, a long time ago:

In 1951, George Stevens won Best Director for A Place in the Sun. An American in Paris won Best Picture.

In 1952, John Ford won Best Director for The Quiet Man. The Greatest Show on Earth won Best Picture.

Hmm, impressive gap.

Though it is a weird situation, maily because the Argo/Life of Pi split was very weird last year. I don't think there is any doubt whatsoever among anyone that had Argo been nominated last year by the directors branch, it would have handily won Best Director.

Voting is now closed.

Final predictions:

Best Picture
GRAVITY

Best Achievement in Directing
Alfonso Cuarón, GRAVITY

Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role
Matthew McConaughey, DALLAS BUYERS CLUB

Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role
Cate Blanchett, BLUE JASMINE

Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role
Barkhad Abdi, CAPTAIN PHILLIPS

Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role
Lupita Nyong'o, 12 YEARS A SLAVE

Best Writing - Adapted Screenplay
PHILOMENA, screenplay by Steve Coogan and Jeff Pope

Best Writing - Original Screenplay
HER, written by Spike Jonze

Best Animated Feature Film
FROZEN

Best Documentary Feature
20 FEET FROM STARDOM

Best Foreign Language Film
THE HUNT (Denmark)

Best Film Editing
GRAVITY, Alfonso Cuarón and Mark Sanger

Best Cinematography
GRAVITY, Emmanuel Lubezki

Best Costume Design
THE GREAT GATSBY, Catherine Martin

Best Makeup and Hairstyling
DALLAS BUYERS CLUB, Adruitha Lee and Robin Matthews

Best Music - Original Score
GRAVITY, Steven Price

Best Music - Original Song
FROZEN, "Let It Go," music and lyric by Kristen Anderson-Lopez and Robert Lopez

Best Production Design
THE GREAT GATSBY, Catherine Martin (production design); Beverley Dunn (set decoration)

Best Sound Editing
GRAVITY, Glenn Freemantle

Best Sound Mixing
GRAVITY, Skip Lievsay, Niv Adiri, Christopher Benstead and Chris Munro

Best Visual Effects
GRAVITY, Tim Webber, Chris Lawrence, Dave Shirk and Neil Corbould

Best Documentary Short Subject
THE LADY IN NUMBER 6: MUSIC SAVED MY LIFE

Best Short Film - Animated
GET A HORSE!

Best Short Film - Live Action
HELIUM


8 wins for Gravity.

Best Picture
GRAVITY

Best Achievement in Directing
Alfonso Cuarón, GRAVITY

Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role
Matthew McConaughey, DALLAS BUYERS CLUB

Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role
Cate Blanchett, BLUE JASMINE

Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role
Jared Leto, DALLAS BUYERS CLUB

Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role
Lupita Nyong'o, 12 YEARS A SLAVE

Best Writing - Adapted Screenplay
12 YEARS A SLAVE, adapted by John Ridley

Best Writing - Original Screenplay
HER, written by Spike Jonze

Best Animated Feature Film
FROZEN

Best Documentary Feature
20 FEET FROM STARDOM

Best Foreign Language Film
THE GREAT BEAUTY (Italy)

Best Film Editing
GRAVITY, Alfonso Cuarón and Mark Sanger

Best Cinematography
GRAVITY, Emmanuel Lubezki

Best Costume Design
THE GREAT GATSBY, Catherine Martin

Best Makeup and Hairstyling
DALLAS BUYERS CLUB, Adruitha Lee and Robin Matthews

Best Music - Original Score
GRAVITY, Steven Price

Best Music - Original Song
FROZEN, "Let It Go," music and lyric by Kristen Anderson-Lopez and Robert Lopez

Best Production Design
THE GREAT GATSBY, Catherine Martin (production design); Beverley Dunn (set decoration)

Best Sound Editing
GRAVITY, Glenn Freemantle

Best Sound Mixing
GRAVITY, Skip Lievsay, Niv Adiri, Christopher Benstead and Chris Munro

Best Visual Effects
GRAVITY, Tim Webber, Chris Lawrence, Dave Shirk and Neil Corbould

Best Documentary Short Subject
THE LADY IN NUMBER 6: MUSIC SAVED MY LIFE

Best Short Film - Animated
GET A HORSE!

Best Short Film - Live Action
HELIUM