Come To Think Of It, Who Took This Picture?!

Over the weekend, Justin Bieber posted an intimate photo of him and his ex (or current) girlfriend Selena Gomez to Instagram. Media outlets and fans alike were so focused on what the photo meant -- are they on again? -- that one little detail was neglected: Who the hell took it?!

Because when you think about it, that's a pretty private moment right there. Justin is (of course) shirtless, slaving away on his laptop, Selena looks like she just woke up or is about to fall asleep. Who else was in the room with them?

But theirs is hardly the sole celebrity photo that has us scratching our heads. We're used to paparazzi shots, the mandatory selfies and the obvious PR pics, but what about all the seemingly personal moments that somehow end up public -- who's behind them?

Here, take a look and you'll see what we mean:

View the original article at Huffington Post / Celebrity

Oscar mystery added to best picture race (Reuters)

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) – Academy Awards organizers have introduced an element of mystery into next year's Oscar ceremony by deciding that anywhere between five and 10 movies will compete for the coveted best picture prize.

The actual number of nominees will not be revealed until nominations are announced on January 24.

The new rule, announced after a late-night board meeting on Tuesday, follows a decision two years ago to double the number of nominees to 10 in a bid to increase ratings.

That move seemed to work, as crowd-pleasing films such as "Inception," "The Blind Side" and "Up" got a shot at the top prize (although they did not win).

On the other hand, some Oscar observers complained that the expansion devalued the significance of a best picture nomination and allowed undeserving pictures to sneak onto the ballot.

"A best picture nomination should be an indication of extraordinary merit," said Bruce Davis, the executive director of the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences. "If there are only eight pictures that truly earn that honor in a given year, we shouldn't feel an obligation to round out the number."

In order to ensure a nomination under the new system, a picture will have to receive at least five percent of first-place votes.

The new system will pose a dilemma for the studios as they wonder how much money they should spend lobbying for a particular movie if the field is tightened.

On the other hand the "new twist" -- as the Academy described it -- will help the Oscars battle awards-season fatigue.

By the time the nominations are announced, front-runners have already emerged at ceremonies for the Critics Choice Movie Awards and the Golden Globes.

The 84th annual Academy Awards will be presented in Hollywood on February 26.

(Reporting by Dean Goodman; Editing by Dan Whitcomb)

Yahoo! News

'Toy Story 3' Producer 'Surprised' by Best Picture Nod

The gang over at Pixar is celebrating its 'Toy Story 3' Academy Award nominations today, most notably for Best Picture. "Lee Unkrich [director] and I called each other, and John Lasseter [executive producer] at 5:45," producer Darla K. Anderson tells PopEater. "We were all whooping it up and texting each other. It's really fun."

Anderson says that watching the nominations being read was a nerve-wracking experience for herself and fellow 'Toy Story 3' colleagues.

"When they read off the nominations, we were at the bottom of the second half of the list, and I thought, 'Oh, my God. Come on.' My heart was pounding. The potential was killing me. I personally was surprised."

"It's something you don't take for granted, what a gigantic honor it is, such a huge honor, to be nominated for an Academy Award."

She notes that, "I'm here at Pixar, which is exactly what I want. I want to be with the 400-plus people who made this film possible. We'll definitely be celebrating. It may be as simple as gathering somewhere and hugging each other," she said this morning.

As the film's lone producer, Anderson would have chief honors of accepting the Oscar if they win Best Picture.

The team knew they were going out on a limb with their animated tale in some respects, but she says, "When this film was finished and in the can, I have to be honest, I felt really an enormous amount of peace."

She says that as a producer, she didn't have to leave any stones unturned in the making of the film, and they made sure that it was exactly how they wanted it to turn out.

"We did take a lot of risks on this film -- we had some moments of loss and poignancy," she said. "We risked Andy giving the toys away, and a lot of intensity, along with a lot of laughter. And I wasn't sure how people would respond to the film -- but I knew we told the story we wanted to tell, and took the story to all those places we wanted to take it."

'Toy Story 3' received five major nominations, including best picture, animated feature, sound editing, original song and adapted screenplay.

Popeater

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