The Oscarweb today is mainly awash with responses to yesterday’s Academy Award nominations, and little news besides, so let’s lead with the most articulate of them. A.O. Scott, for one, is pretty thrilled with the list, seeing this year’s Oscar class as an encouraging indication that there’s still a place in the industry for entertaining, stimulating mainstream cinema for adults: “You may also notice a lot of big-studio releases without a superhero in sight. And, perhaps most remarkably, you will find movies that have already sparked passionate arguments and sold a lot of tickets. It would be hard to say the same about the last two best picture winners, ‘The Artist’ and ‘The King”s Speech’ … What strikes me about this year”s Oscar nominees is how many of them invite, or even force, their viewers to think, and making thinking part of the pleasure they offer.” Do you think this year’s lineup represents an improvement on recent years? [New York Times]
Roger Ebert, meanwhile, offers his mostly positive view of the Academy’s choices, while at the same time delivering his verdict on “Les Miserables.” And boy, is he not a fan. [Chicago Sun-Times]
Ali Gray continues his annual tradition of tweaking Oscar nominees’ posters in order to “tell the truth.” I particularly like the conjunction of “Lincoln” and “Django Unchained.” [The Shiznit]
Steve Pond wonders what yesterday’s unorthodox, banter-filled nominations announcement portends for Seth MacFarlane’s hosting gig next month. [The Wrap]
After noting this unprecedented all-winner lineup for the Best Supporting Actor Oscar, Joe Reid digs through the archives to find acting fields that can make the same claim — if only in retrospect. [Film.com]
Trivia enthusiast Nathaniel Rogers finds a selection of odd facts and figures about yesterday’s nominees. Is “Amour” at present the lowest-grossing Best Picture nominee of all time? [The Film Experience]
African-American writer and cultural analyst Candace Allen examines the racial debates swirling around “Django Unchained,” and is surprised to find herself on Tarantino’s side. [The Guardian]
Chris Lee talks to two contrasting nominees in the Best Costume Design category: three-time winner Colleen Atwood (“Snow White and the Huntsman”) and first-timer Joanna Johnston (“Lincoln”). [LA Times]
Surprise Best Director nominee Benh Zeitlin, meanwhile, offers his dazed response to his Oscar success: “I don’t know how this movie does this.” [The Projector]