Here are Seth MacFarlane's pre-Oscar soundbite offerings (following those of Academy president Hawk Koch). Unsurprisingly, he mostly chooses quips over substance, but I guess what I'd point out is this: Despite his knowledge of the history of the show, MacFarlane argues that the host is doomed to bad reviews, which I don't agree with.

Yeah, it's a tough room, but people want to like the host – and in Billy Crystal's heyday, for example, they did. That being said, it might be true that MacFarlane specifically is doomed to bad reviews, because his sensibility might be so in contrast to what makes a good Oscar host. 

We'll see. Anyway, here's what he had to say ...

"The biggest challenge is gonna be getting there on time. I think it starts at 5:30, and I have like a 4:15 with my pool guy to talk about resurfacing part of the hot tub and so I think if that goes long, it's gonna be tight. But I think if we're expeditious about that, then I think I'll get to the Oscars. I'm hoping it's not a hard 5:30 – if it is, I'm in trouble. 

"When I get into something, I get into it whole-hog, which sounds filthy, but i just mean from a production standpoint. And year, I like being involved with every part of the process, and I will say from what I've seen of what Craig and Neil are doing thus far, they are putting together a show that is already distinctly different and dare I say superior to what we've seen in the past. Those guys, they're really putting together an amazing show. 

 "It's gonna be off the rails, you know? I might wear one black sock and one other sock that's also black but is a different fabric. And that's the kind of thing you can expect at the Oscars this year, I think we'll make it really unexpected. People will go, 'Wow, you really shook it up.'

 " 'SNL' was a real first time for me, because it was the first time I've done a show sober, and that really was a learning experience for me. And I think I might try the Oscars that way as well and just kind of see what happens. Or not. 

 "If there's one group that is unable to laugh at themselves it is Hollywood actors. You know, you're uncomfortable, they're uncomfortable, the audience is uncomfortable. Let's just keep the boundary clear and put an electrified fence up at the base of the stage, and just kind of make it, 'This is the U.S., this is Mexico.'

"I remember the whole family gathering around to watch the Oscars, and it was a good five hours of peace and quiet where we weren't all shouting at each other, so that was nice."

 "The ideal Oscar host is somebody who goes into the awards show knowing that even if he sprouts wings on stage and levitates five feet of the ground, that Entertainment Weekly will still go, 'Eh.'"

AMPAS put forth some soundbites of Academy prexy Hawk Koch pumping up the pending Oscarcast. Promising the show would be funny and irreverent while remaining classy, here's what he had to say about the show, the producers and host Seth MacFarlane ... 

"Seth will be a great Oscar host because he's funny, he's smart, he can sing, he can dance, he's a comic, he's generous, he's warm and he loves movies. And he's a student of the Oscars. When we first sat down to talk about him possibly hosting, he was talking about he knows everything that Hope did, everything that Carson did, everything that Crystal did. So he's hopefully taking the best of all that to come to the show with irreverence – he won't go over the line, we'll still have the class of the Oscars – but I think you're gonna have a lot more fun this year than you've had in a long time. 

"The truth is, I'd been driving myself crazy trying to figure out who would be great producers, and in the middle of the night one night I just woke up and went of course, Craig Zadan and Neil Meron. They are great movie producers, they've made great television and they've done a lot of great stuff on Broadway, so they are a triple threat. And the Oscars have to play in the house which is a tough house, because it is all nominees that are nervous and studio heads that are nervous, everyone else that's nervous and there is 1.2 billion people out there who are watching it on a smaller screen. They understand how you have to please the audience in the house and the audience on television, and they're great at it. And so far they've been fantastic and they've been great collaborators. 

"Well this year, and I'm thankful to the Oscar gods, we have a great crop of films, and I think that's why nine of them were nominated. We have a great crop of everything. I was on the phone with a very famous director while driving in here today. We were talking about, 'Do you have any idea who's going to win these awards?' He said, 'I don't –  I'm just going to vote. I'm going to look at every single film and decide.' I mean, from visual effects to makeup to sound, and obviously the actors, actresses and picture and writing and directing, there's so many good ones, and I think that's exciting. I don't think we at the Academy are going to know until those envelopes are opened on February 24. 

"Having been backstage and in front of the Oscars for many, many years, this is the first time I get to be one of the people in charge. And I think that those 15-20 seconds before it starts, I'm getting choked up right now just thinking about '10 seconds everybody, nine, eight, seven." And when that music starts and Seth comes out and it happens ... I'm getting choked up."

Coming up next: Seth MacFarlane

Hey, AMPAS voters and Oscar pool filler-outers! You know everything there is to know about picture, director, acting and screenplay, right? (At least you think you do.) But what about all the rest?  Well, the folks at Variety are here to help, with these snapshots of the remaining 16 categories at the Academy Awards. 

ANIMATED FEATURE
The Acad reaffirms its love for the oldest, most painstaking form of animation by offering three slots to stop-motion films, including “The Pirates! Band of Misfits,” the latest feature from “Wallace and Gromit” studio Aardman. Previously nommed for “Corpse Bride,” director Tim Burton offers a black-and-white homage to classic monster movies with “Frankenweenie,” while Laika (the Portland-based new kid on the block which was up for an Oscar in 2009 for “Coraline”) offers an eye-popping comedic spin on zombie movies with “ParaNorman.” Those three hand-tooled toons compete against a pair of blockbuster CG features, Disney’s vidgame-themed “Wreck-It Ralph” and Pixar’s girl-power adventure story “Brave.”
Voter’s tip: Pixar has won this category five of the past 11 times, which bodes well for “Brave,” though it was actually the lowest-reviewed film of the lot. “Wreck-It Ralph” plays to grownups as well as kids, thanks to a PG rating (instead of the usual Disney “G”), while the three stop-motion pics each advance the medium in impressive ways, introducing camera moves and a level of detail that have previously proven too difficult to pull off in a technique captured one frame at a time.
— Peter Debruge

ANIMATED SHORT
A dynamic combination of animated shorts — the majority of them receiving significant audience play — are vying for the category’s next Oscar. PES’ “Fresh Guacamole” has been an online staple for the better part of a year, drawing more than 7 million views on one YouTube thread alone. Disney doesn’t disappoint with the whimsical yet touching “Paperman,” which received major exposure through its pairing with “Wreck-It Ralph.” Even greater crowd awareness awaited “Maggie Simpson in ‘The Longest Daycare,’” not only an offshoot of “The Simpsons” but of a 20-year-old storypoint of the series. (“Maggie” was shown in theaters before “Ice Age: Continental Drift.”)
Voter’s tip: Don’t cast your ballot without seeing two other nominees that are more obscure but hardly lacking for style. U.K. National Film and Television School student film “Head Over Heels,” from Timothy Reckart, speaks ever so softly but packs the category’s biggest emotional punch. And “Adam and Dog,” from Disney feature animation designer Minkyu Lee, re-envisions Biblical beginnings in lovely hand-drawn (and canine-focused) light.
— Jon Weisman

CINEMATOGRAPHY
There’s no lack of diversity in this year’s cinematography crop, from the lush theatrical artifice of Seamus McGarvey’s work in “Anna Karenina” to the chiaroscuro portraiture of Janusz Kaminski’s handling of “Lincoln.” For Oscar triviaheads, there’s no denying the intrigue surrounding Roger Deakins’ 10th career nom (for “Skyfall”), given that he’s never won, and with this being the first Bond film to vie for anything other than music and vfx, his supreme craftsmanship on the most psychological of the series transcends genre. Robert Richardson (“Django Unchained”) already has three Oscars, and yet his vibrant palette for Tarantino’s pulp revisionist fantasy is on a level with his most expressionistic work with Oliver Stone at his peak. Richardson won last year for his 3D lensing of “Hugo,” which bodes well for Claudio Miranda’s unusually nuanced use of the medium for Ang Lee’s maiden voyage in 3D waters, “Life of Pi.”
Voter’s tip: Any d.p. worth his weight in lenses will tell you it’s all about advancing story and character, so keep this in mind while luxuriating in all the imagery.
— Steve Chagollan

COSTUME DESIGN
The nominees for this year’s costume design Oscar echo the genre breakdown of the production design contenders: three period and two fantasy films. In fact, the period pics are the same in both categories: “Anna Karenina,” “Les Miserables” and “Lincoln.” All three meticulously re-create the costumes of their respective era: the elaborate apparel of Russia’s upper classes, the tattered rags of France’s street rabble, and the dense, layered garments of Washington politicians. Both fantasy contenders interpret the “Snow White” fairy tale: “Mirror Mirror” with a mix of opulence and frill, “Snow White and the Huntsman” with a darker combo of haute couture and images of death.
Voter’s tip: History subliminally informs the votes of many ballot-casters. This year they’ll recall Colleen Atwood’s costumes in “Alice in Wonderland” as they savor her somber concepts for the evil queen. They’re aware that Jacqueline Duran’s “Pride and Prejudice” designs influenced her Russian garments, that Joanna Johnston’s “War Horse” experience boosted her Civil War creds, and that Paco Delgado’s France drew inspiration from his Spanish creations such as “Biutiful.” And many will remember the admired work of “Mirror Mirror’s” late Eiko Ishioka, whose long stage and graphic design career extended into a film opus that includes “Bram Stoker’s Dracula.”
— Peter Caranicas

DOCUMENTARY FEATURE
Bearing out the strength of Sundance’s nonfiction programming, three of the five nominated films premiered at Park City last year: “The Invisible War” (Kirby Dick’s hard-hitting look at the frequency of rape in the military), “How to Survive a Plague” (David France’s well-crafted chronicle of the fight against AIDS) and “Searching for Sugar Man,” Malik Bendjelloul’s rousing investigation into the life and career of musician Sixto Rodriguez. Rounding out the category are two scorching entries from the frontlines of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict: Droh Moreh’s “The Gatekeepers” and Emad Burnat and Guy Davidi’s “5 Broken Cameras.”
Voter’s tip: With the DGA’s docu helming prize and a higher B.O. gross ($3.2 million) than any of its rivals, “Searching for Sugar Man” would seem to have the edge in this race. If Academy members are in less of a feel-good mood, don’t count out “The Gatekeepers,” perhaps the best-reviewed title of the bunch, although its nuanced, morally anguished critique of the Israeli occupation could encounter some resistance.
— Justin Chang

DOCUMENTARY SHORT
Think back: When was the last time you saw a documentary short in theaters? Exactly. In what has effectively become the Oscars’ unofficial “Emmy” category, a crop of smallscreen-bound nonfiction works vie for a prize that seems as far removed from the theatrical experience as giving Oscar statues for “best Super Bowl commercial” — only these are all earnest, weight-of-the-world essays on such issues as aging (“Kings Point”), cancer (“Mondays at Racine”), homelessness (“Inocente”), poverty (“Redemption”) and third-world medical care (“Open Heart”). Four of the entries are destined to appear on HBO, while the last, MTV-produced “Inocente” (in which a Latina teen tries to develop her artistic identity amid family hardship), aired last August.
Voter’s tip: Kief Davidson’s “Open Heart,” about a Rwandan girl who receives life-saving heart surgery from a dedicated surgeon in Sudan, echos recent winners “Smile Pinki” (in which humanitarians repair an Indian girl’s cleft lip) and “Saving Face” (about doctors determined to help Pakistani women who were victims of face-scarring acid attacks). This category is always a tear-jerker, but the most uplifting may be “Mondays at Racine,” which captures the human side of cancer as ordinary women cope with the effects of radiation therapy.
— Peter Debruge

FILM EDITING
Conventional wisdom holds that no one wins Oscar’s top prize without an editing nom, though the reverse isn’t necessarily the case (last year, “The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo” took home the editing prize without making the best picture cut), proving that technical innovation can be as important as good clean storytelling when it comes to honoring editors. In that respect, Ang Lee’s 3D, effects-heavy “Life of Pi” (edited by “Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon” vet Tim Squyres) could prove the most impressive. On the continuum of experience, three-time winner Michael Kahn turned policy-making into white-knuckle stuff with “Lincoln,” while newcomer Crispin Struthers paired up with Jay Cassidy to make “Silver Linings Playbook” the snappy crowd-pleaser that it is.
Voter’s tip: Consider finding a way to honor the editor nominated for two different pics in the category: William Goldenberg cut both “Argo,” lending the Ben Affleck-helmed thriller a pulse-quickening urgency while leaving room for the characters to shine, and “Zero Dark Thirty,” in which he and partner Dylan Tichenor sifted through reels of multicamera, documentary-style coverage to zero in on the essence of the tense manhunt story.
— Peter Debruge

FOREIGN-LANGUAGE FILM
Austria’s “Amour” has been the presumptive favorite in this category since its Palme d’Or-winning premiere at Cannes, and the fact that it’s in contention for four other Oscars has done nothing to weaken its hold. Still, its rivals all have their strengths and partisans: Scandinavian entries “A Royal Affair” (Denmark) and “Kon-Tiki” (Norway) are perhaps the most accessible of the lot, while Chile’s Gael Garcia Bernal starrer “No” (like “Amour,” a Sony Classics pickup) and Canada’s “War Witch” have both scored festival acclaim.
Voter’s tip: Surprises in this race have been known to happen. But as “Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon” and “Life Is Beautiful” demonstrated, when a foreign-language film nominee scores multiple nominations in other races (including picture and director), the stars have a way of aligning exactly as expected.
— Justin Chang

LIVE-ACTION SHORT
An international influence can be felt deeply in this year’s live-action short nominees, all but one of which are set outside the U.S. The exception would be “Curfew,” directed, written by and starring Shawn Christensen in a touching if occasionally startling story of city-bound despair. Otherwise, the journey beyond borders could begin with Yan England’s “Henry,” which serves as a de facto distillation of the past year’s “Amour” and “Looper.”  “Death of a Shadow,” from Tom van Avermaet and starring Matthias Schoenaerts (“Rust and Bone”) travels similar themes of love and death.
Voter’s tip: By now, more people have become familiar with the two shorts featuring untrained child stars, Bryan Buckley’s “Asad” and Sam French-directed “Buzkashi Boys.” If not, the journey through this year’s shorts isn’t complete without their windows into the youth of two troubled regions, as well as into the ambition and resourcefulness of the filmmakers.
— Jon Weisman

MAKEUP
Hair, lots of hair, defines this category. “The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey” required Peter Swords King, Rick Findlater and Tami Lane to conceive and create looks for the 13 central dwarf characters, each with distinct facial hair, not to mention prosthetic noses and other features. The revolutionaries of “Les Miserables” are given an appropriately grimy, unkempt look of the period, a time when daily personal grooming was reserved for the wealthy, by Lisa Westcott and Julie Dartnell. Anne Hathaway’s short coif, though, is on its way to becoming an chic icon of movie hair history.
Voter’s tip: Don’t overlook the subtlety of re-creating the real people of “Hitchcock”: Howard Berger, Peter Montagna and Martin Samuel transformed Anthony Hopkins into the Master of Suspense, made Helen Mirren frumpy and turned Scarlett Johansson into Janet Leigh. 
— Carole Horst

ORIGINAL SCORE
If Alexandre Desplat was given the opportunity to choose which of his many scores for 2012 the Academy might have nominated him for in early January, chances are “Argo” would not have topped the list. But now that the Argonauts at the guilds have given that film strong momentum leading up to Oscar night, Desplat’s mixture of Middle Eastern and Western influences appears to be a stroke of good fortune. Ethnic flavors also predominate in Michael Danna’s tapestry of Persian, Indian and Tibetan strains in his “Life of Pi” score. Dario Marianelli upped his game by matching his classically inspired waltzes and Russian folk music to choreographed movement in “Anna Karenina,” much like his Oscar-winning music for “Atonement” at times mimicked the sound of a typewriter. And John Williams’ American Pastoral score for “Lincoln” is unusually restrained for a man whose five Oscars weren’t earned for their subtlety.
Voter’s tip: Give credit to Thomas Newman — the biggest bridesmaid of the bunch (11 noms) — whose score for “Skyfall” deftly balances brash, muscular 007 tradition with a more reflective take on the Bond franchise.
— Steve Chagollan

ORIGINAL SONG
Following a year in which the Academy only saw fit to nominate two tunes for original song — the injury added to the earlier insult of canceling song performances from the kudocast — this year’s Oscar hopefuls paint a refreshingly rosier picture. The presence of the most successful solo artist of the past decade (Adele, who performed and co-wrote the titular theme to “Skyfall” with regular collaborator Paul Epworth) obviously brings excitement, and fellow Grammy darling Norah Jones will also be around to croon “Everybody Needs a Best Friend” from “Ted” (music: Walter Murphy; lyrics: Seth MacFarlane). “Suddenly” (music: Claude-Michel Schonberg; lyrics: Herbert Kretzmer, Alain Boublil) managed to add material to the canonical “Les Miserables” songbook without jarring, while “Life of Pi’s” Mychael Danna pulled off the rare feat of notching noms in both score and song categories, and his collaboration with Bombay Jayashri, “Pi’s Lullaby,” reps the first Tamil-language song to be Oscar-nominated.
Voter’s tip: While he may be the least-known of the nominated tunesmiths, J. Ralph is a considerable talent who has devoted most of his songwriting efforts to documentary film. His Scarlett Johansson-sung “Before My Time” from “Chasing Ice” is worthy of a listen.
— Andrew Barker

PRODUCTION DESIGN
In what will be the first Oscar ceremony since the art direction category was re-named production design, the five films competing for this year’s trophy will forever be remembered for their sets and backgrounds. Three take place in very different 19th century environments — the glittering world of Russia’s aristocracy, the impoverished masses of 1830s France, and the military and political tumult of America’s Civil War — while another follows a boy adrift at sea on a fantasmagorical journey and the fifth conjures an entirely invented world.
Voter’s tip: If you like period films, you’ll have a hard time choosing among the lavish, theatrical sets and the stark Russian backgrounds that production designer Sarah Greenwood created for “Anna Karenina,” the atmospheric and palpably gritty Paris that Eve Stewart built for “Les Miserables,” and the magisterial yet musty halls of government that Rick Carter re-constructed for “Lincoln.” And fantasy buffs will have to decide whether they prefer David Gropman’s luminescent, dreamy nature scenes in “Life of Pi” or Dan Hennah’s storybook dwellings, resplendent palaces and Middle-earth landscapes in “The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey.”
— Peter Caranicas

SOUND EDITING
Sound editors for this year’s nominees traveled far and wide to gather what was heard in this group of films. “Argo” and “Zero Dark Thirty” editors went to pains to have native speakers record chants or shouts heard throughout their Middle East landscapes. Editors on “Life of Pi” found a group of tigers to sample the various emotions they needed. “Skyfall” and “Django Unchained” both powered through their battle scenes with sounds taken from weapons and machines specific to their stories.
Voter’s tip: Don’t put tiger roars in a smackdown against helicopter blades. While all these talented editors went to incredible lengths to get just the right sound, what ultimately counts is whether it feels real and (almost subliminally) convinces the audience that what they’re seeing is genuine. It’s about sounds that take you there and continue to suspend any disbelief.
— Karen Idelson

SOUND MIXING
Just about every type of film — musical, action, historical drama, adventure — is nommed in this race. “Les Miserables” earned raves for its raw vocal performances coupled with a universally known score. “Skyfall” balanced the sonic acrobatics of an action film with the cool undertones of a moody thriller. “Argo” blended multiple locations and languages for its harrowing journey. “Lincoln” guided audiences through history with sounds from the White House along with Daniel Day Lewis’ carefully constructed vocals. And the allegorical voyage “Life of Pi” featured a soundscape to back gigantic storms and an island covered with meerkats.
Voter’s tip: With a wildly diverse group of nominees this year, remember to see each film for its individual achievements, rather than as part of a particular genre. Films like “Skyfall” and “Life of Pi” bring subtlety and clarity to big film mixes, while “Argo” and “Lincoln” take a bold look at their historical subjects and “Les Mis” is a mix focused on emotional clarity more than perfect vocals.
— Karen Idelson

VISUAL EFFECTS
The visual effects category is Oscar’s home for the blockbusters, and none of the nominees could have been made in live-action without extensive vfx. Voters must decide for themselves what makes visual effects “best.” Quantity? Technical innovation? Originality? Contribution to the story? Sheer beauty? Each can arguably rate the top spot, depending on that answer. All are very polished technically; it’s easier to find an out-of-focus closeup than a technically bad vfx shot nowadays. “Prometheus,” “Life of Pi” and “The Hobbit” were in native 3D, and “The Hobbit” was finished at 48 frames per second — so all were technically daunting. “Snow White and the Huntsman,” “Prometheus” and “Pi” are especially highly art-directed. “The Avengers” not only had to unify the visuals of its diverse superheroes, but get laughs with those CG-animated heroes to boot.
Voter’s tip: Try see these movies on a big screen, not at home on screeners. Their vfx should be judged in their most advanced presentation: 3D and/or HFR, where applicable. Don’t skip surprise nominee “Snow White and the Huntsman,” which brings some lovely Hayao Miyazaki-flavored fantasy imagery to life.
—David S. Cohen

-- Kristin Chenoweth, Entertainment Weekly managing editor Jess Cagle and “Good Morning America” anchor Lara Spencer hosting ABC's Oscar pre-show, ”The Oscars Red Carpet Live,” exec produced by this year's Oscarcast team of Craig Zadan and Neil Meron.

-- "Lincoln" screenwriter Tony Kushner joined a letter sent to the U.S. Senate "objecting to the pressure exerted by three of them — Dianne Feinstein, Carl Levin and John McCain — on 'Zero Dark Thirty,' " reports Michael Cieply at the Carpetbagger.

-- Renee Zellweger, Catherine Zeta-Jones, Richard Gere and Queen Latifah from 2002 best picture winner "Chicago" have joined the musical-heavy presenter crew at this year's Oscars. So have Ben Affleck, Jessica Chastain, Jennifer Lawrence, Halle Berry, Sandra Bullock, Nicole Kidman and Reese Witherspoon.

-- The late Nora Ephron will receive a tribute at the WGA East portion of Sunday's Writers Guild Awards. (More on the WGAs here.)

-- Wednesday's Film Independent Event focused on Ben Affleck gets a recap from Dave McNary of Variety.

No, awards season won't end for Anne Hathaway and Jennifer Lawrence with the Oscars. The actresses will compete against each other at the 26th annual Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Awards on March 23.

For her work in "The Hunger Games," Lawrence has two nominations, including the hallowed prize of favorite female buttkicker, for which she and Hathaway ("The Dark Knight Rises") are up against Scarlett Johannsson ("The Avengers") and Kristen Stewart ("Snow White and the Huntsman").

Among the other KCA nominees are Selena Gomez and Vanessa Hudgens, though it's safe to say it's not for the movie "Spring Breakers." The popular Gomez, along with Disney Channel series "Wizards of Waverly Place" and co-star Jake T. Austin, are nominated even though that show hasn't aired a new episode since Jan. 6, 2012 (a reunion special is upcoming).

But no harm in nominating classic TV, right? Among the contenders for top cartoon: "Tom and Jerry."

Hudgens is nominated for "Journey 2: The Mysterious Island," going for favorite movie actress honors against Johansson, Lawrence and Stewart.

Also noteworthy: Simon Cowell ("The X Factor") nominated for favorite villain.

The full list of nominees:

Favorite TV Show

Good Luck Charlie

iCarly

Victorious

Wizards of Waverly Place

 

Favorite Reality Show

America’s Got Talent

American Idol

The Voice

Wipeout

 

Favorite Cartoon

The Fairly OddParents

Phineas and Ferb

SpongeBob SquarePants

Tom and Jerry

 

Favorite TV Actor

Jake T. Austin (Wizards of Waverly Place)

Lucas Cruikshank (Marvin Marvin)

Ross Lynch (Austin & Ally)

Carlos Pena (Big Time Rush)

 

Favorite TV Actress

Miranda Cosgrove (iCarly)

Selena Gomez (Wizards of Waverly Place)

Victoria Justice (Victorious)

Bridgit Mendler (Good Luck Charlie)

 

FILM:

 

Favorite Movie

The Amazing Spider-Man

The Avengers

Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Dog Days

The Hunger Games

 

Favorite Movie Actor

Johnny Depp (Dark Shadows)

Andrew Garfield (The Amazing Spider-Man)

Zachary Gordon (Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Dog Days)

Will Smith (Men in Black 3)

 

Favorite Movie Actress

Vanessa Hudgens (Journey 2: The Mysterious Island)

Scarlett Johansson (The Avengers)

Jennifer Lawrence (The Hunger Games)

Kristen Stewart (The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn - Part 2)

 

Favorite Animated Movie

Brave

Ice Age: Continental Drift

Madagascar 3: Europe’s Most Wanted

Wreck-It Ralph

 

Favorite Voice from an Animated Movie

Chris Rock (Madagascar 3: Europe’s Most Wanted)

Adam Sandler (Hotel Transylvania)

Ben Stiller (Madagascar 3: Europe’s Most Wanted)

Taylor Swift (The Lorax)

 

Favorite Male Buttkicker

Robert Downey Jr. (The Avengers)

Andrew Garfield (The Amazing Spider-Man)

Chris Hemsworth (The Avengers)

Dwayne Johnson (Journey 2: The Mysterious Island)

 

Favorite Female Buttkicker

Anne Hathaway (The Dark Knight Rises)

Scarlett Johansson (The Avengers)

Jennifer Lawrence (The Hunger Games)

Kristen Stewart (Snow White and the Huntsman)

 

MUSIC:

 

Favorite Music Group

Big Time Rush

Bon Jovi

Maroon 5

One Direction

 

Favorite Male Singer

Justin Bieber

Bruno Mars

Blake Shelton

Usher

 

Favorite Female Singer

Adele

Katy Perry

P!nk

Taylor Swift

 

Favorite Song

“Call Me Maybe” (Carly Rae Jepsen)

“Gangnam Style” (PSY)

“We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together” (Taylor Swift)

“What Makes You Beautiful” (One Direction)

 

 

SPORTS:

 

Favorite Male Athlete

LeBron James

Michael Phelps

Tim Tebow

Shaun White

 

Favorite Female Athlete

Gabrielle Douglas

Danica Patrick

Serena Williams
Venus Williams

 

OTHER CATEGORIES:

 

Favorite Villain

Reed Alexander (iCarly)

Simon Cowell (The X Factor)

Tom Hiddleston (The Avengers)

Julia Roberts (Mirror Mirror)

 

Favorite Book

Diary of a Wimpy Kid series

Harry Potter series

The Hunger Games series

Magic Tree House series

 

Favorite Videogame

Just Dance 4

Mario Kart 7

Skylanders Giants

Wii Sports

 

Favorite App

Angry Birds

Fruit Ninja

Minecraft

Temple Run

Variety contributor Jerry Rice files this piece on "Life of Pi" special effects coordinator Donald R. Elliott.

Many of the spectacular visuals in “Life of Pi” take place in the middle of the ocean, yet special effects coordinator Donald R. Elliott did most of his work on dry land in an abandoned Taiwan airport hangar, which housed the largest self-generating wave tank ever constructed for a movie.

Measuring 230 feet by 99 feet, and with a capacity of 1.7 million gallons, the tank allowed for a range of water textures and also served as the stage for a pair of action-filled, big-water sequences – both pivotal to the story – that were engineered by Elliott and his crew of 25.

In the first, the sinking of the Tsimtsum, the doomed freighter with Pi (Suraj Sharma) and his family aboard is being tossed about by giant waves from a severe nighttime weather system with strong winds and torrential rain. Director Ang Lee pressed for realism.

“He wanted the real kind of motion that a ship would make (in that situation),” says Elliott, who has more than 40 films to his credit, including Lee’s 2003 comicbook superhero pic, “The Incredible Hulk.”

Later, adrift in a small lifeboat, Pi and his companion (a Bengal tiger, added by visual effects supervisor Bill Westenhofer and his team) encounter the massive “storm of God,” which becomes a spiritual experience for Pi.

“For the wrath that rolls over him, we had the boat on a gimbal that rocked and spun – we called it the rotisserie – so that we could get the shots of Suraj inside the boat tipping back and forth,” says Elliott, who adds that while the giant wave tank allowed for a measure of control, the production still stretched his talents.

“The choreography of all the pieces of equipment to get the water, the boat, the kid and the tiger out in the middle of the tank was a big deal,” he says. “No matter what the shots are on the water, they’re always tougher. Being in the water presents its own challenges.”

In the heat of the Oscar voting, the "Django Unchained" thesp takes his act to "Saturday Night Live."

ABC has released a partial list of advertisers for the Academy Awards broadcast.

The ad buyers include American Express, Ameriprise, Blue Diamond, Coke, Coldwell Banker, Fox (theatrical, presumably), Hyundai, JCPenney, McDonalds, Royal Carribbean, Samsung, Sprint, Stella (Anheuser-Busch) and the University of Phoenix.

The Oscar broadcast is completely sold out in terms of advertising, however, some buyers did not wish to disclose their names in advance.

Street closures this month for the Academy Awards have been announced. Above is the map for Feb. 24 day-of-show closures, but already some shutdowns have begun toaccommodate the construction of press risers, fan bleachers and pre-show stages along the Oscars red carpet.

Details here.