'Harry Potter,' 'Inception' and 'The Twilight Saga: Eclipse' earn multiple nominations for MTV Movie Awards

The nominations for the 2011 MTV Movie Awards were announced Tuesday morning, with "The Twilight Saga: Eclipse" snagging the most with eight, followed by "Inception" with seven, "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows — Part 1" with six and "The Social Network" garnering five.

The unconventional award show will air June 5 from the Gibson Amphitheatre with "Saturday Night Live" regular Jason Sudeikis as host.

Among the nominations announced Tuesday morning are:

Best movie

"Black Swan," "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows — Part 1," "Inception," "The Social Network" and "The Twilight Saga: Eclipse"

Best female performance

Emma Stone, "Easy A"; Emma Watson, "Harry Potter";  Jennifer Aniston, "Just Go With It";  Kristen Stewart, "Eclipse"; and Natalie Portman, "Black Swan"

Best male performance

Daniel Radcliffe, "Harry Potter"; Jesse Eisenberg, "The Social Network"; Robert Pattinson, "Eclipse"; Taylor Lautner, "Eclipse"; and Zac Efron, "Charlie St. Cloud"

Best breakout star

Andrew Garfield, "The Social Network"; Chloe Grace Moretz, "Kick-Ass"; Hailee Steinfeld, "True Grit"; Jay Chou, "The Green Hornet"; Olivia Wilde, "Tron: Legacy"; and Xavier Samuel, "Eclipse"

Best comedic performance

Adam Sandler, "Just Go With It"; Ashton Kutcher, "No Strings Attached"; Emma Stona, "Easy A"; Russell Brand, "Get HIm to the Greek"; and Zach Galifianakis, "Due Date"

Best villain

Christoph Waltz, "The Green Hornet"; Leighton Meester, "The Roommate"; Mickey Rourke, "Iron Man 2"; Ned Beatty, "Toy Story 3"; and Tom Felton, "Harry Potter"

Best kiss

Ellen Page and Joseph Gordon-Levitt, "Inception"; Emma Watson and Daniel Radcliffe, "Harry Potter"; Kristen Stewart and Robert Pattinson and Kristen Stewart and Taylor Lautner, "Eclipse"; and Natalie Portman and Mila Kunis, "Black Swan"

Voting in these and other categories begins today at http://www.MovieAwards.MTV.com and closes on June 4. However, voting for the best picture winner will continue throughout the ceremony.

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— Susan King

Photos, from top: Robert Pattinson and Kristen Stewart in "The Twlight Saga: Eclipse"; Daniel Radcliffe and Emma Watson in "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows -- Part 1." Credits: Kimberly French / Summit Entertainment; Warner Bros. Pictures

Oscars: Colin Firth wins for lead actor

Colin Firth won the Oscar for lead actor for his performance in “The King’s Speech” at the 83rd Academy Awards on Sunday night. The 50-year-old British actor was the odds-on favorite to pick up his first Oscar. He portrays England’s Prince Albert, who struggles to stop his stuttering before being crowned as King George VI.

Firth breezed through the award season, collecting a Golden Globe, a Screen Actors Guild Award, a BAFTA (the British equivalent of the Academy Award), as well as top honors from the majority of critics’ groups.

Firth was competing against Jesse Eisenberg for “The Social Network,” Oscar co-host James Franco for “127 Hours,” Jeff Bridges for “True Grit” and Javier Bardem for “Biutiful.”

The Academy Awards are taking place at the Kodak Theatre in Hollywood and are being televised live on ABC. We'll carry all the breaking news and reaction here on Awards Tracker.

-- Susan King

Photo: Colin Firth with his actor Oscar. Credit: Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times

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BAFTA Award: Colin Firth wins for best actor

Colin Firth won the leading actor trophy for his performance as King George VI in "The King's Speech" on Sunday at the Orange British Academy Film Awards.

Firth, who won the same honor last year for his role in Tom Ford's "A Single Man," is considered the front-runner for the Oscar in the same category. The top British film award and the Oscars have aligned fairly closely in recent years.

His competition was Javier Bardem for "Biutiful," Jeff Bridges for "True Grit," Jesse Eisenberg for "The Social Network" and James Franco for "127 Hours."

The awards, presented by the British Academy of Film and Television Arts, were handed out  at the Royal Opera House in Covent Garden in London.

--Susan King

Photo of Colin Firth from Getty Images.

Can 'The Social Network' still pull out a win?

 
Things aren't looking too hot for "The Social Network." Considering the SAG ensemble award for "The King's Speech," Saturday night's director's prize for Tom Hooper, and the Producers Guild top prize last weekend, the momentum has changed in a big way toward the British drama about the stuttering king. The DGA award is particularly significant given that only six times in the award's 60-plus-year history has it differed with how the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences voted for best director.

The SAG Award, in particular, has likely derailed "Social Network's" cause since the largest branch in the academy is the actors, and if they went the way of "The King's Speech" for SAG, it's likely they'll go that way for Oscars too. (The ensemble award has matched the best picture Oscar seven times in the last 15 years.)

However, as the website In Contention points out, it is worth noting the last time the DGA and the academy differed. Back in 2002, the DGA chose then-42-year-old Rob Marshall for "Chicago." Marshall, a newbie to the feature world with only TV credits to his name at the time, did not maintain his momentum into the Oscars. While his film won best picture, the academy went a different route for director by choosing Roman Polanski for his work on "The Pianist."

Hooper, 38, is also a newcomer to the feature film world, with only television credits to his name. His work in "The King's Speech" is certainly award-worthy, but it will be interesting to see if there is a chance the academy chooses the veteran helmer, in this case David Fincher, the director behind "The Social Network" who has been nominated once before for "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button" and has made eight films in his career.

Unfortunately, momentum is not on his side, and it doesn't help that the film about the founding of Facebook isn't winning any acting prizes either. (Jesse Eisenberg is the only actor from the film nominated for an Oscar in contrast to "The King's Speech," which has three acting noms.) "Social Network's" screenwriter Aaron Sorkin still has the best shot for the win in the adapted category, but the rest of his collaborators have shifted to underdog status quickly.

 

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Photo: Actors Armie Hammer, left, Andrew Garfield, Justin Timberlake and Jesse Eisenberg introduce a clip from "The Social Network" at the 17th annual Screen Actors Guild Awards on Sunday. Credit: Reuters.

— Nicole Sperling

SAG Awards: 'SNL' host Jesse Eisenberg is feeling slightly overwhelmed [Video]

It was only this morning that Jesse Eisenberg was in New York City, still on a high from hosting “Saturday Night Live” over the weekend — where he finally came face to face with Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg, whom he plays in “The Social Network.”

At the Screen Actors Guild Awards in Los Angleles on Sunday afternoon, Eisenberg said he’d met Zuckerberg for the first time a day prior, during “SNL” rehearsals.

“I always imagined that it would be a very overwhelming experience,” he said of the interaction with the terse tech-whiz. “I didn’t ever suspect that it would be in the context of something even more overwhelming — live television. And so in a way it was probably the perfect place to do that.”

Also overwhelming? The pace of Eisenberg’s schedule over the past few weeks, while he’s hopped from one award show to the next on the way to the Oscars, where he’s received a best actor nod.

“It’s like, if I just had to go to the Screen Actors Guild Awards this year, that would be so overwhelming, and I’d spend, like, the rest of the year thinking about it and writing in my diary,” he said, speaking at warp speed. “But, like, I also hosted ‘SNL’ last [night] and went to Japan a few weeks ago to do publicity for the movie. So, anyway, this is to say everything is happening at once and I wish God — or my publicist, rather — would have spread out all of these events.”

  RELATED:

SAG Awards: Complete coverage

Colin Firth and 'King's Speech' gain SAG recognition

Red carpet photos

— Amy Kaufman

Twitter.com/AmyKinLA

Oscar nominations: After 'Social Network' accolades are over, Jesse Eisenberg will still have his cats

When asked about their feelings upon finding out they’ve been nominated for an Academy Award, many actors use words like “excited” and “honored.” But Jesse Eisenberg, who grabbed a best lead actor nomination for his role as the socially awkward Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg in “The Social Network,” said Tuesday morning he was feeling “all right” and “strange.”

“I’m trying to –- OK –- to think of how to phrase it,” Eisenberg said, perhaps channeling a bit of Zuckerberg. “A very strange experience. The movie has received such high praise for the last several months. This is just another overwhelming culmination. In many ways this is a culmination.”

“The Social Network” was nominated in eight categories, including best picture and best director. But Eisenberg’s fellow cast member Andrew Garfield was overlooked.

“Andrew and the entire cast were so incredible to work with. This is truly an ensemble film,” Eisenberg said. “Anytime I receive any acknowledgment, I am aware how impossible it would have been to achieve without the cast and especially Andrew. That’s how everybody thinks.”

As for what he plans to do after all the Oscar hoopla is over on Feb. 27, Eisenberg revealed some big plans.

“I’m taking it in as though I’ll never see any of these people again. We’ll have this shared experience,” he said. “And then I’ll go back to my cats.”

--Chris Lee

Photo: Jesse Eisenberg attends a special screening of the movie "The Social Network" in New York in September. Credit: Evan Agostini/Associated Press)
 

My 100% perfect Oscar nomination predictions

Oscar nominations will be unveiled next Tuesday. Below: my predictions in the top six Academy Awards races.

BEST PICTURE
1. "The Social Network"
2. "The King's Speech"
3. "The Fighter"
4. "True Grit"
5. "Black Swan"
6. "Toy Story 3"
7. "Inception"
8. "The Town"
9. "127 Hours"
10. "The Kids Are All Right"

The top seven films on this list are locks for nominations. Mystery looms over what will nab those bottom three rungs where four films jockey for inclusion. "Winter's Bone" is the one not shown here, but could break in.


BEST DIRECTOR
1. David Fincher, “The Social Network”
2. Christopher Nolan, “Inception”
3. Darren Aronofsky, “Black Swan”
4. Tom Hooper, “The King’s Speech”
5. David O. Russell, “The Fighter”

Fincher will win, of course. The only suspense surrounds who'll be nominated. The above five are the DGA nominees. One of them (but not Fincher) might be bumped for Joel and Ethan Coen ("True Grit") or Danny Boyle ("127 Hours"). There's a remote chance Lisa Cholodenko ("The Kids Are All Right") could squeak in now that a woman finally won here for the first time last year.


BEST ACTOR
1. Colin Firth, "The King's Speech"
2. James Franco, "127 Hours"
3. Jesse Eisenberg, "The Social Network"
4. Robert Duvall, "Get Low"
5. Jeff Bridges, "True Grit"

Colin Firth will win, James Franco and Jesse Eisenberg are guaranteed nominations. Duvall and Bridges are vulnerable and could be bumped by Javier Bardem ("Biutiful"), Mark Wahlberg ("The Fighter") or Ryan Gosling ("Blue Valentine").
 

BEST ACTRESS
1. Natalie Portman, "Black Swan"
2. Annette Bening, "The Kids Are All Right"
3. Nicole Kidman, "Rabbit Hole"
4. Jennifer Lawrence, "Winter's Bone"
5. Hilary Swank, "Conviction"

Some pundits doubt that Swank will make the list, but she scored a SAG nomination and that's always a great omen. Otherwise, expect Julianne Moore ("The Kids Are All Right") or Michelle Williams ("Blue Valentine") to sneak in. Outside shot: Lesley Manville ("Another Year"), who won National Board of Review. Some pundits believe Hailee Steinfeld ("True Grit") will be nommed in lead even though she campaigned in supporting. That happened just two years ago with Kate Winslet ("The Reader"), but I don't see that scenario repeating now.
 

'King's Speech' dominates BAFTA nominations

 

"The King's Speech" dominated the nominations for the Orange British Academy Awards on Monday evening,  scoring 14 nominations, followed by "Black Swan" with 12, "Inception" with nine and "127 Hours" and "True Grit" with eight. "The Social Network," which has won the major critics awards this season, as well as the Critics Choice Movie Awards and the Golden Globe for best film, received six nominations.
 
Besides best film, the British Academy of Film and Television Arts gave "King's Speech" nominations for lead actor for Colin Firth, who just won the Golden Globe; supporting actress for Helena Bonham Carter; supporting actor for Geoffrey Rush; director for Tom Hooper; original screenplay for David Seidler, as well as for best British film, cinematography, costume design, editing, makeup and hair, original music, production design and sound.
 
Joining "King's Speech" in the best film category are "Black Swan," "Inception," "The Social Network" and "True Grit."

The other best director nominees are Danny Boyle for "127 Hours," Darren Aronofsky for "Black Swan," Christopher Nolan for "Inception" and David Fincher for "The Social Network."
 
Along witjh Firth in the best actor category are Javier Bardem for "Biutiful," Jeff Bridges for "True Grit," Jesse Eisenberg for "The Social Network" and James Franco for "127 Hours."
Leading actress nominees are  Annette Bening and Julianne Moore for "The Kids Are All Right," Natalie Portman for "Black Swan," Noomi Rapace for "The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo" and Hailee Steinfeld for "True Grit."
 
Nominated in the supporting actor category are Christian Bale for "The Fighter,"  Andrew Garfield for "The Social Network," the late Pete Postlethwaite for "The Town,"' Mark Ruffalo for "The Kids are All Right" and Rush.

Joining Bonham Carter in the supporting actress category are Amy Adams for "The Fighter," Barbara Hershey for "Black Swan," Lesley Manville for "Another Year" and Miranda Richardson for "Made in Dangenham."

Notably missing from the list of nominees were "The Fighter" and its director, David O. Russell, Oscar best actress contender Jennifer Lawrence for "Winter's Bone" and supporting actress contender Melissa Leo, who just won the Golden Globe, for "The Fighter."
 
The nominees for animated film are "Despicable Me," "How to Train Your Dragon" and "Toy Story 3."

The awards will be handed out Feb. 13 at the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden, in London.
 
For a complete list of nominees go to http://www.bafta.org.

-- Susan King

Photo: BAFTA nominees Colin Firth and Helena Bonham Carter in "The King's Speech." Credit: The Weinstein Co.

 

Scorecard: Major awards bestowed so far

Siz leading awards groups have doled out trophies so far this derby season. Below is a rundown of who won what.

CC = Critics' Choice
GG = Golden Globe
LAFCA = Los Angeles Film Critics Assn.
NBR = National Board of Review
NSFC = National Society of Film Critics
NYFCC = New York Film Critics Circle

BEST PICTURE
"The Social Network" – CC, GG, LAFCA, NBR, NSFC, NYFCC

BEST DIRECTOR
David Fincher, "The Social Network" -- CC, GG, LAFCA, NBR, NSFC, NYFCC

BEST ACTOR
Jesse Eisenberg, "The Social Network" – NBR, NSFC
Colin Firth, "The King's Speech" – CC, GG, LAFCA, NYFCC

Golden Globe predictions: 'King's Speech' or 'Social Network' to reign?

Predicting the Golden Globes is hard because the awards are bestowed by such a quirky group of foreign journalists with unusual tastes. But let's try it anyway. First the film categories.

-- Tom O'Neil

X = predicted winner

PICTURE (DRAMA)
"Black Swan"
"The Fighter"
"Inception"
"The King's Speech"
X - "The Social Network"

PREDICTION: This is a close contest between "King's Speech" and "Social Network." Members of the Hollywood Foreign Press Assn. often like foreign-set films, especially when they involve the British aristocracy, as evidenced by past victories here by "Atonement," "The English Patient" and "Sense and Sensibility." But sometimes the foreigners strive to do the opposite – to prove how in tune they  are with hip Yankee fare such as "Avatar" last year – and "Social Network" this year? I think so, yes.


PICTURE (COMEDY/MUSICAL)
"Alice in Wonderland"
"Burlesque"
X - "The Kids Are All Right"
"Red"
"The Tourist"

PREDICTION: "Kids" is the only movie on this list that has any hope of an Oscar nomination for best picture, so it'll probably prevail. But is it really a comedy?


DIRECTOR
Darren Aronofsky, "Black Swan"
X - David Fincher, "Social Network"
Tom Hooper, "The King's Speech"
Christopher Nolan, "Inception"
David O. Russell, "The Fighter"

PREDICTION: Unlike Oscar voters, Globe voters often spread the wealth and reward helmers of films that don't win best picture. But I don't think that's going to happen this year.


ACTOR (DRAMA)
Jesse Eisenberg, "The Social Network"
X - Colin Firth, "The King's Speech"
James Franco, "127 Hours"
Ryan Gosling, "Blue Valentine"
Mark Wahlberg, "The Fighter"

PREDICTION: Firth hasn't lost a single award yet this season – and he's not going to lose this one, or any other, en route to the Oscar crown.