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Best Actress Oscar: Natalie Portman & Jennifer Lawrence

Best Actress nominees Oscar Luncheon photo

Ramon Novarro biography Beyond Paradise

Best Actress Academy Award nominees Natalie Portman, Michelle Williams, Jennifer Lawrence, Nicole Kidman, and Annette Bening are seen above at the 2011 Oscar Luncheon held in Beverly Hills on Monday, Feb. 7. They’ve been shortlisted for the following movies:

Jennifer Lawrence: Only Oscar newcomer

Jennifer Lawrence is the only first-time nominee among this year’s Best Actress contenders.

The 2011 Academy Awards ceremony will be held on Sunday, Feb. 27.

Photo of Best Actress Oscar nominees Natalie Portman, Michelle Williams, Jennifer Lawrence, Nicole Kidman and Annette Bening: Todd Wawrychuk / © A.M.P.A.S.

Best Actor nominees Oscar Luncheon photo

James Franco, Colin Firth, Javier Bardem, Jesse Eisenberg, and Jeff Bridges, the five Best Actor nominees for the 2011 Academy Awards, attended the Oscar Luncheon held at the Beverly Hilton Hotel in Beverly Hills on Monday, Feb. 7. They are in the running for the following:

James Franco and Jesse Eisenberg: Oscar newcomers

James Franco, who will be co-hosting with Anne Hathaway the 2011 Oscar ceremony, and Jesse Eisenberg are first-time Oscar nominees.

Colin Firth has one previous nomination, for Tom Ford’s A Single Man (2009).

Javier Bardem had been previously nominated as Best Actor for Julian Schnabel’s Before Night Falls (2000) and won as Best Supporting Actor for Joel and Ethan Coen’s No Country for Old Men (2007).

Jeff Bridges has five previous nominations:

  • Best Supporting Actor for Peter Bogdanovich’s The Last Picture Show (1971).
  • Best Supporting Actor for Michael Cimino’s Thunderbolt and Lightfoot (1974).
  • Best Actor for John Carpenter’s Starman (1984).
  • Best Supporting Actor for Rod Lurie’s The Contender (2000)
  • He won as Best Actor for Scott Cooper’s Crazy Heart (2009).

The 2011 Academy Awards ceremony will be held on Sunday, Feb. 27.

Photo of Best Actor Oscar nominees James Franco, Javier Bardem, Jesse Eisenberg, Colin Firth, and Jeff Bridges: Todd Wawrychuk / © A.M.P.A.S.

Best Supporting Actress Oscar Nominees Amy Adams Helena Bonham CarterBest Supporting Actress Oscar Nominees Helena Bonham Carter, Melissa Leo, Jacki Weaver, Hailee Steinfeld and Amy Adams.

Best Supporting Actress Oscar nominees: Academy Luncheon

Best Supporting Actress Academy Award nominees Helena Bonham Carter, Melissa Leo, Jacki Weaver, Hailee Steinfeld, and Amy Adams pose together at the 2011 Oscar Luncheon held in Beverly Hills on Monday, Feb. 7. They were nominated for the following performances:

  • Helena Bonham Carter for Tom Hooper’s The King’s Speech.
    Cast: Colin Firth. Geoffrey Rush. Guy Pearce. Claire Bloom.
  • Melissa Leo for David O. Russell’s The Fighter.
    Cast: Mark Wahlberg. Christian Bale. Leo’s fellow Best Supporting Actress Oscar contender Amy Adams.
  • Jacki Weaver for David Michôd’s Animal Kingdom.
    Cast: Joel Edgerton. Guy Pearce. Ben Mendelsohn. Anthony Hayes. James Frecheville.
  • Hailee Steinfeld for Joel and Ethan Coen’s True Grit.
    Cast: Jeff Bridges. Matt Damon. Josh Brolin.
  • Amy Adams for The Fighter.

Veteran Jacki Weaver, teenage Hailee Steinfeld: Oscar newcomers

Best Supporting Actress Oscar contenders Jacki Weaver, 63, and Hailee Steinfeld, 14, are first-time nominees.

  • Helena Bonham Carter had been previously nominated in the Best Actress category for Iain Softley’s The Wings of the Dove (1997).
    Cast: Linus Roache. Alison Elliott. Charlotte Rampling. Michael Gambon. Elizabeth McGovern. Ben Miles.
  • Melissa Leo was a Best Actress nominee for Courtney Hunt’s Frozen River (2008).
    Cast: Misty Upham.
  • Amy Adams has two previous Best Supporting Actress Oscar nominations, for Phil Morrison’s Junebug (2005) and John Patrick Shanley’s Doubt (2008).
    Junebug cast: Embeth Davidtz. Ben McKenzie. Alessandro Nivola. Celia Weston. Scott Wilson.
    Doubt cast: Meryl Streep. Viola Davis. Philip Seymour Hoffman.

The 2011 Academy Awards ceremony will be held on Sunday, Feb. 27, in Hollywood.

Among the other 2011 nominees in the acting categories are Colin Firth and Geoffrey Rush for The King’s Speech, Jesse Eisenberg for David Fincher’s The Social Network, Nicole Kidman for John Cameron Mitchell’s Rabbit Run, and Natalie Portman for Darren Aronofsky’s Black Swan.

Photo of Best Supporting Actress Oscar Nominees Helena Bonham Carter, Melissa Leo, Jacki Weaver, Hailee Steinfeld and Amy Adams: Todd Wawrychuk / © A.M.P.A.S.

Oscar Nominees Luncheon Annete BeningOscar Nominees Luncheon 2011 group photo: Annette Bening, Natalie Portman, Amy Adams and more.

Oscar Nominees Luncheon group photo: Annette Bening, Natalie Portman, and many more

Annette Bening, James Franco, Jeff Bridges, Amy Adams, Nicole Kidman, Michelle Williams, Jeremy Renner, Natalie Portman, Jennifer Lawrence, Helena Bonham Carter, and Colin Firth were among the nearly 150 Oscar nominees gathered at The Beverly Hilton hotel in Beverly Hills on Monday, Feb. 7, ’11, for the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences’ annual Oscar Nominees Luncheon.

The Oscar Luncheon was held in honor of all 2011 nominees and special award winners. Each one of them was handed an official certificate of nomination by Academy President Tom Sherak.

Make sure to click on the photo above to enlarge it (4696 x 1800).

Oscar Nominees Luncheon photo Who’s Who

Below is the 2011 Oscar Nominees Luncheon photo’s Who’s Who, from left to right:

Front, Row 1: Mitchell W. Block. Iain Canning. Helena Bonham Carter. Angus Aynsley. Simon Beaufoy. Stuart Craig. Rick Baker. Lisa Cholodenko. Stuart Blumberg. Nicole Kidman. Jeff Bridges. Annette Bening. Amy Adams. Trish Adlesic. Dana Brunetti. Darren Aronofsky. Ian Barnes. Jeff Cronenweth. Joel Coen. Craig Berkey. Ethan Coen. Colleen Atwood. Geefwee Boedoe.

Row 2: David Parker. Ren Clyce. Michael Semanick. Randy Newman. Gary Gilbert. Celine Rattray. Jacki Weaver. James Franco. John Lasseter. Andrew Stanton. Sara Nesson. Mark Weingarten. Scott Franklin. Darla Anderson. Gary Rizzo. A.R. Rahman.

Row 3: Mike Creagh. Stephen Trojanski. Glenn Slater. Gwendolyn Yates Whittle. Charles Ferguson. Debra Granik. Thomas Lennon. Chris Corbould. Mike Medavoy. David Seidler. Javier Bardem. Natalie Portman. Brian Oliver. Christopher Nolan. Todd Lieberman. Ed Novick. Tom Hooper. Lucy Walker. Pamela Martin. Jaime D’Cruz. Ruby Yang. Jennifer Lawrence. Jenny Beavan. Jennifer Redfern. Trent Reznor.

Row 4: Aaron Sorkin. Michael Arndt. Lee Unkrich. Robert Stromberg. Karen O’Hara. Janek Sirrs. Scott Millan. Greg Orloff. Guy Hendrix Dyas. Scott Silver. Ken Ralston. Chris Sanders. Andrew Weisblum. Tim Hetheringtin. Sebastian Junger. Richard King. Nancy Haigh. Jess Gonchor. Jeremy Renner. Joe Farrell. Jesse Eisenberg. Geoffrey Rush. Tanel Toom. Tim Metzger.

Row 5: Carey Villegas. Ben Snow. John Hawkes. Dean DeBlois. Daniel Sudick. Alix Madigan Yorkin. Anne Rosellini. Wally Pfister. Emma Thomas. Addison Teague. Josh Fox. Angus Wall. Mark Stoeckinger. Roger Deakins. Greg P. Russell. Larry Dias. John Midgley. Michael Silvers. Skip Lievsay. Sean Phillips. Kirk Simon. Samantha Waite. Mark Ruffalo. Paul Franklin. Emile Sherman. Atticus Ross.

Back, Row 6: Bryan Grill. Luke Matheny. Doug Mowat. John Powell. Eric Johnson. Adrien Morot. David Schaub. Paul Tamasy. Alan Menken. Hailee Steinfeld. Hans Zimmer. Peter Kurland. David Hoberman. David O. Russell. Mark Wahlberg. Melissa Leo. Teddy Newton. Jeffrey J. Haboush. Karen Goodman. Michael DeLuca. Dave Elsey. Gareth Unwin. Tom Myers. Yolanda Toussieng. Edouard F. Henriques. Gregory Funk. Kirk Baxter. Audrey Marrs. Mary Zophres. Keith Dorrington. Colin Firth. Michelle Williams.

The 2011 Academy Awards ceremony will take place on Sunday, Feb. 27. Among the Best Picture nominees are Black Swan, True Grit, The Social Network, Inception, 127 Hours, The Kids Are All Right, and The King’s Speech.

Annette Bening, Natalie Portman, Amy Adams, et al. in 2011 Oscar Nominees Luncheon photo: Greg Harbaugh / ©A.M.P.A.S.

Christopher Nolan Wally Pfister Oscar LuncheonOscar Luncheon: Christopher Nolan ensconced between Wally Pfister and Hans Zimmer.

‘Inception’ crew at 2011 Oscar Luncheon: Wally Pfister, Christopher Nolan and Hans Zimmer

Cinematographer Wally Pfister, director-screenwriter-producer Christopher Nolan, and composer Hans Zimmer can be seen above at the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences’ 2011 Oscar Luncheon in Beverly Hills, on Monday, Feb. 7.

Christopher Nolan

Double nominee Christopher Nolan wrote and co-produced Best Picture nominee Inception. Nolan also directed the sci-fi thriller starring Leonardo DiCaprio, but failed to be shortlisted in that category.

Two years ago, there was a major uproar when Nolan’s blockbuster The Dark Knight, starring Christian Bale, Heath Ledger, Maggie Gyllenhaal, and Aaron Eckhart, failed to be shortlisted in the Best Picture, Best Director, and Best Adapted Screenplay categories. Ledger, however, received a posthumous Best Supporting Actor Oscar.

The first film in Nolan’s Batman trilogy was Batman Begins. Next in line is The Dark Knight Rises.

‘Inception’

Inception was nominated for eight Academy Awards. Both Wally Pfister and Hans Zimmer were also shortlisted.

In addition to Leonardo DiCaprio, Inception features Marion Cotillard, Ellen Page, Tom Hardy, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Michael Caine, Pete Postlethwaite, Cillian Murphy, Tom Berenger, Dileep Rao, and Ken Watanabe.

The 2011 Academy Awards ceremony will be held on Sunday, Feb. 27, in Hollywood.

Photo of Wally Pfister, Christopher Nolan, and Hans Zimmer: Greg Harbaugh / © A.M.P.A.S.

Oscar Luncheon James Franco Natalie PortmanOscar Luncheon: Christopher Nolan, James Franco, Natalie Portman and John Lasseter.

Acting nominees James Franco, Natalie Portman: Oscar Luncheon

James Franco, Christopher Nolan (behind Franco), John Lasseter, and Natalie Portman (seated) pose for the camera at the Academy’s Oscar Luncheon.

James Franco is a Best Actor contender for Danny Boyle’s 127 Hours. Franco will also be an Oscar host alongside Anne Hathaway.

Best Actress nominee Natalie Portman is in the running for Darren Aronofsky’s psychological drama Black Swan. Portman was previously nominated in the Best Supporting Actress category for Mike Nichols’ Closer (2004), co-starring Julia Roberts, Jude Law, and Clive Owen.

John Lasseter

John Lasseter is a nominee for the Toy Story 3 screenplay, which he co-wrote with Michael Arndt, Andrew Stanton, and Lee Unkrich. Lasseter has four previous Oscar nominations, in addition to winning for the animated short film Tin Toy (1988), shared with William Reeves.

For his efforts on Toy Story, in 1995 the Academy honored Lasseter with a Special Achievement Award for “the development and inspired application of techniques that have made possible the first feature-length computer-animated film.”

John Lasseter, Christopher Nolan, James Franco, Natalie Portman Oscar Luncheon photo: Richard Harbaugh / © A.M.P.A.S.

Darren Aronofsky Best Director contender signs autographs Oscar Nominees LuncheonDarren Aronofsky: Best Director contender signs autographs at Oscar Nominees Luncheon.

Best Director nominee Darren Aronofsky signs autographs at Oscar Luncheon 2011

Best Director Academy Award nominee Darren Aronofsky is seen above at the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences’ 2011 Oscar Luncheon, held on Monday, Feb. 7, in Beverly Hills.

The first-time Oscar nominee has been shortlisted for the psychological thriller Black Swan, written by Andres Heinz, Mark Freyman, and John J. McLaughlin, and starring the following:

Best Actress nominee Natalie Portman. Mila Kunis. Vincent Cassel. Winona Ryder. Barbara Hershey. Benjamin Millepied. Toby Hemingway. Ksenia Solo. Sebastian Stan. Kristina Anapau. Janet Montgomery. Mark Margolis. Tina Sloan. Sergio Torrado. Chris Gartin. Shaun O’Hagan. Kurt Froman.

Black Swan received a total of five Oscar nods, including Best Picture. Natalie Portman – previously nominated as Best Supporting Actress for Mike Nichols’ Closer (2004) – is easily the favorite for this year’s Best Actress Academy Award.

Darren Aronofsky Best Director competition

Despite the unexpected commercial success of the low-budget Black Swan, Darren Aronofsky has little chance of taking home this year’s Best Director Oscar statuette, which should go to one of these two filmmakers:

  • David Fincher for The Social Network.
    Cast: Jesse Eisenberg. Andrew Garfield. Armie Hammer. Justin Timberlake. Max Minghella. Joseph Mazzello. Josh Pence. Rooney Mara. Rashida Jones. Dakota Johnson.
  • Tom Hooper for The King’s Speech.
    Cast: Colin Firth. Geoffrey Rush. Helena Bonham Carter. Guy Pearce. Michael Gambon. Claire Bloom. Orlando Wells. Derek Jacobi. Jennifer Ehle. Eve Best. Timothy Spall. Anthony Andrews. Freya Wilson. Ramona Marquez. Adrian Scarborough. Simon Chandler.

Below are the other 2011 Best Director nominees:

  • David O. Russell for The Fighter.
    Cast: Mark Wahlberg. Amy Adams. Christian Bale. Melissa Leo.
  • Joel and Ethan Coen for True Grit.
    Cast: Jeff Bridges. Hailee Steinfeld. Matt Damon. Josh Brolin. Barry Pepper.

Darren Aronofsky movies

Below is the full list of films – including shorts (the first four titles) – directed by the Brooklyn-born (Feb. 12, 1969) Darren Aronofsky.*

  • Noah (2014).
    Cast: Russell Crowe. Jennifer Connelly. Ray Winstone. Anthony Hopkins. Emma Watson. Logan Lerman. Douglas Booth. Kevin Durand. Leo McHugh Carroll. Marton Csokas. Gavin Casalegno. Voice: Nick Nolte. Mark Margolis.
  • Black Swan (2010).
  • The Wrestler (2008).
    Cast: Mickey Rourke. Evan Rachel Wood. Marisa Tomei.
  • The Fountain (2006).
    Cast: Hugh Jackman. Rachel Weisz. Ellen Burstyn. Mark Margolis. Stephen McHattie.
  • Requiem for a Dream (2000).
    Cast: Ellen Burstyn. Jared Leto. Jennifer Connelly. Marlon Wayans. Christopher McDonald. Louise Lasser.
  • Pi (1998).
    Cast: Sean Gullette. Mark Margolis. Ben Shenkman.
  • No Time (1994).
  • Protozoa (1993).
  • Fortune Cookie (1991).
  • Supermarket Sweep (1991).

The 2011 Academy Awards ceremony will be held on Sunday, Feb. 27.

* The list of Darren Aronofsky movies was updated in June 2015.

Photo of Darren Aronofsky signing autographs: Richard Harbaugh / © A.M.P.A.S.

Jesse Eisenberg Colin Firth Best Actor competitors chatJesse Eisenberg and Colin Firth: Best Actor competitors chat away at Academy’s Oscar Luncheon.

Best Actor Oscar competitors Jesse Eisenberg and Colin Firth chat at Academy Luncheon

Best Actor Academy Award nominees Jesse Eisenberg and Colin Firth chat away at the Academy’s 2011 Oscar Luncheon in Beverly Hills. Eisenberg was shortlisted for David Fincher’s The Social Network. Firth, the odds-on favorite for the award, is in the running for Tom Hooper’s The King’s Speech.

2011 Oscar competitors Jesse Eisenberg and Colin Firth have something else in common: they have both been nominated for their portrayal of real-life characters: in The Social Network, Eisenberg is Facebook creator Mark Zuckerberg; in The King’s Speech, Firth is the U.K.’s stuttering King George VI.

Eisenberg and Firth’s fellow Best Actor Oscar nominees are:

  • Javier Bardem for Alejandro González Iñárritu’s Biutiful.
  • Jeff Bridges for Joel and Ethan Coen’s True Grit.
  • James Franco for Danny Boyle’s 127 Hours.

Oscar Luncheon photo of Jesse Eisenberg and Colin Firth: Richard Harbaugh / © A.M.P.A.S.

Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (A.M.P.A.S.) website.

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