On January 10, viewers watched anxiously as Seth MacFarlane and Emma Stone announced the nominations for the 2012 Oscars. Student‘s agreed that this year’s announcement was especially anticipated, as critics have raved over many movies released in 2012.

“I was really excited to hear the nominations because there were so many good movies out this year, and it was hard to guess who would be nominated,” sophomore Annie Werdiger said.

The nine movies nominated for “Best Picture” this year were Amour, Lincoln, Argo, Silver Linings Playbook, Beasts of the Southern Wild, Zero Dark Thirty, Django Unchained, Life of Pi, and Les Misérables. Opinions about which movie will win the award seem to vary. 
“There were so many more good movies out this year than in previous years, which makes it so hard to tell who will win,” sophomore Emily Casper said. “Les Misérables and Argo were both amazing, so they are definitely top contenders, but there are so many other good movies in the category as well.”
Other top categories include “Best Actor” and “Best Actress.” Jessica Chastain, Jennifer Lawrence, Emmanuelle Riva, Quvenzhané Wallis, and Naomi Watts all received nominations in the “Best Actress” category. “Best Actor” nominations went to Bradley Cooper, Daniel Day-Lewis, Hugh Jackman, Joaquin Phoenix and Denzel Washington.
“I think Jennifer Lawrence should win “Best Actress” because she doesn’t fit the typical Hollywood stereotype of most other actresses,” sophomore Mari Riera said.  
Movie fans are also eager to hear the winners for “Best Supporting Actor” and “Best Supporting Actress,” and many are hoping to see Anne Hathaway claim the award for her performance in Les Misérables.
“I thought Anne Hathaway was amazing in Les Misérables, and even though her role wasn’t that big, she definitely had a huge positive impact on the movie,” Emily said.
Many agree that this year will be one of toughest competitions in the history of the Oscars.  After weeks of waiting, viewers around the world will be tuning in on February 24 to see which of the nominees will win in each category.
“I’m not normally that excited about the Oscars, but there are so many good movies, actors and actresses nominated that it’s impossible to tell who will win, so I will definitely watch it this year,” sophomore Concetta Brusco said.
 
– Anna Phillips, Staff Writer