This publicity film image released by DreamWorks and Twentieth Century Fox shows Daniel Day-Lewis portraying Abraham Lincoln in the film “Lincoln.” Best-picture prospects for Oscar Nominations on Thursday, Jan. 10, 2013, include, “Lincoln,” directed by Steven Spielberg; “Zero Dark Thirty,” directed by Kathryn Bigelow; “Les Miserables,” directed by Tom Hooper; “Argo,” directed by Ben Affleck; “Django Unchained,” directed by Quentin Tarantino; and “Life of Pi,” directed by Ang Lee.BEVERLY HILLS, Calif. – Crusaders for good, old-fashioned Western democracy look to be the key figures vying for this year’s Academy Awards.
Best-picture favorites for Thursday morning’s Oscar nominations include “Lincoln,” Steven Spielberg’s portrait of the great emancipator who abolished slavery and reunified the United States; “Zero Dark Thirty,” Kathryn Bigelow’s chronicle of the hunt for U.S. public enemy No. 1, Osama bin Laden; and “Les Miserables,” Tom Hooper’s musical epic set against an uprising of freedom fighters in 19th century France.
Among other prospects are “Argo,” Ben Affleck’s thriller about a CIA scheme to save Americans from Iran amid the 1979 hostage crisis; “Django Unchained,” Quentin Tarantino’s bloody revenge saga about a former slave hunting white oppressors just before the Civil War; and “Life of Pi,” Ang Lee’s story of a free-thinking Indian youth cast adrift on a lifeboat with a Bengal tiger while traveling to a new life in North America.
This year’s nominations come earlier than usual in Hollywood’s long awards season, leaving the awards picture a bit murkier. By the time Oscar nominations come out most years, the Golden Globes already have given their trophies, helping to sort out prospective front-runners for show business’ biggest night.
The nominations this time precede the Golden Globes ceremony, which follows on Sunday.