Oscar Buzz: Who Will Get Nominated?

Whose critical buzz will translate into Oscar gold? The 85th Academy Awards nominations will be announced live early Thursday morning on January 10, 2013, and we've got a look at who's got a shot at Hollywood's top prize for their impressive film work in 2012.

The Buzz: Another category whose number of contenders fluctuates, this one between 3-5, Disney pretty much will find itself competing against itself with strong contenders Brave, Frankenweenie and Wreck-It Ralph -- and the stop-motion-animated ParaNorman possibly giving direct competition to Tim Burton's own stop-motion Frankenweenie.

What Will Get Nominated: Brave, Frankenweenie, Wreck-It Ralph, ParaNorman

What Should Get Nominated But Won't: The Pirates: Band of Misfits, Rise of the Guardians

The Buzz: This category is a tough call this year, with buzzed-about performances coming from all sides: Tommy Lee Jones' commanding Lincoln delivery up against Phillip Seymour Hoffman as The Master, Alan Arkin's deadpan funny movie producer in Argo and both Leonardo DiCaprio and Christoph Waltz facing off for Django Unchained.

Who Will Get Nominated: Tommy Lee Jones (Lincoln), Christoph Waltz (Django Unchained), Leonardo DiCaprio (Django Unchained), Robert De Niro (Silver Linings Playbook), Alan Arkin (Argo)

Who Should Get Nominated But Won't: Andy Serkis (The Hobbit), Javier Bardem (Skyfall), Matthew McConaughey (Magic Mike), Dwight Henry (Beasts of the Southern Wild), Samuel L. Jackson (Django Unchained), John Goodman (Flight)

The Buzz: This looks to be Anne Hathaway's nom to get and award to win, with her brave Les Miserables performance displaying just the right amount of alchemy and range that the Academy loves. It's also often a young person's category, but previous Oscar winner Sally Field's stance in Lincoln could also steal Anne's thunder to nab a nom and subsequent win.

Who Will Get Nominated: Anne Hathaway (Les Miserables), Helen Hunt (The Sessions), Amy Adams (The Master) Sally Field (Lincoln), with Nicole Kidman's performance in The Paperboy a possible dark horse pick.

Who Should Get Nominated But Won't: Kerry Washington (Django Unchained), Judi Dench (Skyfall), Frances McDormand (Promised Land), Maggie Smith (The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel), Jennifer Ehle (Zero Dark Thirty)

The Buzz: Jessica Chastain's star turn in Zero Dark Thirty seems to be getting lots of late buzz alongside Naomi Watts' raw performance in The Impossible, but Oscar-friendly Jennifer Lawrence's talented turn in Silver Linings Playbook combined with her Hunger Games star power could trump the competition.


Who Will Get Nominated: Naomi Watts (The Impossible), Jennifer Lawrence (Silver Linings Playbook), Rachel Weisz (The Deep Blue Sea), Marion Cotillard (Rust and Bone), Jessica Chastain (Zero Dark Thirty)

Who Should Get Nominated But Won't: Quvenzhane Wallis (Beasts of the Southern Wild), Helen Mirren (Hitchcock), Mary Elizabeth Winstead (Smashed), Keira Knightley (Anna Karenina), Laura Linney (Hyde Park on Hudson)

The Buzz: It looks like previous winner Daniel Day-Lewis has a lock in this category as Lincoln, but John Hawkes just may pull off an upset with an Academy-fave performance as a handicapped individual in The Sessions, which is also based on a true story (you know, like that hilariously un-PC diatribe by Robert Downey Jr.'s Kirk Lazarus in Tropic Thunder).

Who Will Get Nominated: Daniel Day-Lewis (Lincoln), Denzel Washingto (Flight), Hugh Jackman (Les Miserables), John Hawkes (The Sessions), Joaquin Phoenix (The Master)

Who Should Get Nominated But Won't: Bradley Cooper (Silver Linings Playbook), Jamie Foxx (Django Unchained), Jack Black (Bernie), Daniel Craig (Skyfall), Martin Freeman (The Hobbit), Suraj Sharma (Life of Pi), Bill Murray (Hyde Park on Hudson), Matthew McConaughey (Killer Joe)

The Buzz: It's that much harder to predict what will definitely get nominated in this category for the 2013 Oscars due to new rules declaring that between 5-10 nominees can ultimately qualify. Last year, 9 movies were in contention for Best Picture. Buzzed about movies don't always land the coveted top category, so although entries like The Master, Silver Linings Playbook and Django Unchained may seem like a lock for Best Picture, it's the performances within them and the craftspeople behind them that are more likely to secure Oscar noms.

What Will Get Nominated: Les Miserables, Lincoln, Life of Pi, Argo, Zero Dark Thirty

What Should Get Nominated But Won't: Unless the Academy expands the field from 5 to 10, Moonrise Kingdom, The Master, The Impossible, Anna Karenina and Beasts of the Southern Wild remain dark horse picks.