Roundup: The science of Oscar acceptance speeches

Who gets thanked the most in Oscar acceptance speeches? Nathaniel Rogers and Chris Kirk crunch the numbers from the last decade’s worth of ceremonies, and have made some interesting discoveries — chief among them, that Meryl Streep gets thanked more often than God. “What comes out in the moment-or doesn”t-is a true reflection of feeling, whether the speech feels rehearsed and polished or immediate and spazzy. And in Hollywood-and what”s more Hollywood than the Oscars?-billing matters,” they write. Included is an exhaustive cross-referenced chart breaking down individuals actors’ speech by class of person thanked, and in what order. Geek out. [Slate]

This year’s Tribeca Film Festival will open with Nas documentary “Time is Illmatic.” [Screen Daily]

Louis Peitzman rounds up the least favorable reviews of this year’s Best Picture nominees (including mine of “Nebraska” and “Philomena,” though I was okay with the latter). [BuzzFeed]

Tim Gray anticipates the predicted Oscar clips from the Best Picture nominees, and suggests some alternatives. [Variety]

Steve McQueen and his Oscar-nominated editor Joe Walker discuss the process of assembling “12 Years a Slave.” [NPR]

Graphic designer Sam Smith creates a beautiful alternative poster for “Her” and discusses its connection to the film. [The Dissolve]

“Frozen” songwriters Robert Lopez and Kristen Anderson-Lopez talk about bringing Disney princess into “the world of Tina Fey and Amy Poehler.” [New York Times]

Erik Childress asks how much attention the BAFTAs “deserve” in the awards race, though what he really means is how closely they predict the Oscars. [Roger Ebert]

With Jennifer Lawrence’s potential back-to-back wins in mind, Steve Pond looks at the history of Oscar hot streaks. [The Wrap]

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