And the (full list of) nominees are…

Navy SEALS raid Osama bin Laden's compound in 'Zero Dark Thirty'
Navy SEALS raid Osama bin Laden’s compound in ‘Zero Dark Thirty’

Steven Spielberg’s  Lincoln leads the Oscar nomination race with 12 followed closely by the visually amazing Life of Pi with 11.  The Best Actress in a lead role features the oldest and youngest nominees in that category’s history.  So the race is on, as studios campaign to garner awards for their films.    It all culminates on February 24th when presenters will say “the nominees are” in the following categories:

Best Picture:

Amour
Argo
Beasts of the Southern Wild
Django Unchained
Les Misérables
Life of Pi
Lincoln
Silver Linings Playbook
Zero Dark Thirty

The all-CGI Bengal tiger, Richard Parker, will have you believing in movie magic in 'Life of Pi'
The all-CGI Bengal tiger, Richard Parker, will have you believing in movie magic in ‘Life of Pi’

Best Director:

Ang Lee – Life of Pi
David O. Russell – Silver Linings Playbook
Behn Zeitlin – Beasts of the Southern Wild
Michael Haenke – Amour
Steven Spielberg – Lincoln

The calm before the wave as the family enjoys Christmas Eve in 'The Impossible'
Naomi Watts in a scene from her Oscar-nominated performance in ‘The Impossible’

Best Actress in a Lead Role:

Emmanuelle Riva – Amour
Jennifer Lawrence – Silver Linings Playbook
Jessica Chastain – Zero Dark Thirty
Naomi Watts – The Impossible
Quvenzhane Wallis –Beasts of the Southern Wild

Daniel Day-Lewis is 'Lincoln'
Daniel Day-Lewis is ‘Lincoln’

Best Actor in a Lead Role:

Daniel Day-Lewis – Lincoln
Denzel Washington – Flight
Hugh Jackman – Les Misérables
Joaquin Phoenix – The Master
Bradley Cooper – Silver Linings Playbook

Anne Hathaway as Fantine
Anne Hathaway as Fantine

Best Supporting Actress:

Amy Adams – The Master
Anne Hathaway – Les Misérables
Helen Hunt – The Sessions
Jacki Weaver – Silver Linings Playbook
Sally Field – Lincoln

'Django Unchained'
Oscar nominee Christoph Waltz with Jamie Foxx in a scene from ‘Django Unchained’

Best Supporting Actor:

Alan Arkin – Argo
Christoph Waltz – Django Unchained
Philip Seymour Hoffman – The Master
Robert DeNiro – Silver Linings Playbook
Tommy Lee Jones – Lincoln

Director Michael Haneke with 'Amour' stars Emmanuelle Riva (center) and Jean-Louis Trintignant
Director Michael Haneke with ‘Amour’ stars Emmanuelle Riva (center) and Jean-Louis Trintignant

Best Original Screenplay:

Amour
Django Unchained
Flight 

Moonrise Kingdom
Zero Dark Thirty

'Beasts of the Southern Wild' surprised many with four Oscar nominations, including Best Adapted Screenplay
‘Beasts of the Southern Wild’ surprised many with four Oscar nominations, including Best Adapted Screenplay

Best Adapted Screenplay:

Argo
Beasts of the Southern Wild
Life of Pi
Lincoln
Silver Linings Playbook

Ralph reluctantly makes a new friend named Vanellope in 'Wreck It Ralph'
Ralph reluctantly makes a new friend named Vanellope in ‘Wreck It Ralph’

Best Animated Feature:

Frankenweenie
The Pirates! Band of Misfits
Wreck-It Ralph
ParaNorman
Brave

Best Foreign Feature:

Amour
A Royal Affair
Kon-Tiki
No
War Witch

Best Visual Effects:

Life of Pi
The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey
The Avengers
Prometheus
Snow White and the Huntsman

Best Cinematography:

Skyfall
Anna Karenina
Django Unchained
Life of Pi
Lincoln

Best Costume Design:

Anna Karenina
Les Misérables
Lincoln
Mirror Mirror
Snow White and the Huntsman

Best Documentary Feature:

Searching for Sugar Man
How to Survive a Plague
The Gatekeepers
5 Broken Cameras
The Invisible War

Best Documentary Short:

Open Heart
Inocente
Redemption
Kings Point
Mondays at Racine
Snow White and the Huntsman

Best Film Editing:

Lincoln
Silver Linings Playbook
Life of Pi
Argo
Zero Dark Thirty

Best Makeup and Hairstyling:

Hitchcock
The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey
Les Misérables

Best Music (Original Score):

Anna Karenina
Argo
Life of Pi
Lincoln
Skyfall

Best Music (Original Song):

“Before My Time” from Chasing Ice
“Everybody Needs A Best Friend” from Ted
“Pi’s Lullaby” from Life of Pi
“Skyfall” from Skyfall
“Suddenly” from Les Misérables

Best Production Design:

Anna Karenina
The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey
Les Misérables
Life of Pi
Lincoln

Best Short Film, Animated:

Adam and Dog
Fresh Guacamole
Head over Heels
Maggie Simpson in ‘The Longest Daycare’
Paperman

Best Short Film, Live Action:

Asad
Buzkashi Boys
Curfew
Death of a Shadow (Dood van een Schaduw)
Henry

Best Sound Editing:

Argo
Django Unchained
Life of Pi
Skyfall
Zero Dark Thirty

Best Sound Mixing:

Argo
Les Misérables
Life of Pi
Lincoln
Skyfall