It was a royal flush for the “The King’s Speech” when the nominations were announced Tuesday by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. It landed 12 Oscar nods, the most of any film. Final ballots have not been distributed yet to determine the victors for the ceremony, but already it’s shaping up as a best-picture contest between the inspiring British drama about Prince William’s verbally challenged great-grandfather and the “The Social Network.” That sharp-witted Facebook story, which garnered eight nominations, has won top honors among some critics groups including the Hollywood Foreign Press Association’s Golden Globes. “The King’s Speech” took the top prize at the Producers Guild of America awards, whose winner often goes on to grab the Oscar.
83rd Academy Awards
| On TV |
| When: 8 p.m. Feb. 27 |
| Where: ABC |
| Hosts: Nominees Anne Hathaway and James Franco |
As the two front-runners vie to “friend” the more than 6000 members of the Academy, an emerging dark horse for best picture is the horse opera “True Grit.” With 10 nods, the Coen Brothers’ crowd-pleasing remake of the John Wayne classic is among the biggest box office earners ever for a Western, grossing about $140 million so far. Popularity means something in an artist institution that also includes Hollywood’s most successful producers and studio types as voters. In comparison, “Speech” has grossed $57.3 million so far, with “The Social Network” bringing in $95.4 million. Oscar buzz plus word of mouth are sure to lead to an increase in revenues for nominees still running in theaters.
At this point, the clearest shoo-ins for statuettes might be in the two lead acting categories. It would be a huge shock if Colin Firth, a widely respected leading man for decades, did not finally win as best actor. He lost in the category to Jeff Bridges last year, so it is considered Firth’s turn. Also likely to win, Natalie Portman lost 20 pounds from her already tiny frame and learned how to pirouette like a pro for her intense role in the ballet horror drama “Black Swan.” Oscar loves that kind of transformation.
For some, it was indeed an honor just to be nominated. Few pundits were predicting that Javier Bardem would get a best lead actor nod for the tiny, downbeat Spanish language picture “Biutiful” or that John Hawkes would see a best supporting nomination for the similarly obscure “Winter’s Bone.” Meanwhile, the Academy snubbed “Inception” director Christopher Nolan, even though his blockbuster mind bender earned eight other nominations, including best picture. Another major snub, this time in the best documentary category: the acclaimed “Waiting for ‘Superman,’ ” which some considered to be the favorite before the nominations.
The 83rd Academy Awards will air at 8 p.m. Feb. 27 on ABC.
AP and staff reports contributed to this story
