‘Lincoln’ leads 2013 Oscar nominations, 'Life of Pi' close behind

“Lincoln” director Steven Spielberg’s super hit movie about 16th US president’s struggle to end slavery is at the top position for this year’s Academy Awards with a whopping 12 nominations. According to CBS, the movie has been nominated in the Best Picture category also.

Meanwhile, Ang Lee’s “Life of Pi” received 11 nominations, including Best Picture. The box office hit is a tale of a young man who gets stranded on a ship’s lifeboat with a big Bengal tiger.

“Les Miserables” also got a nod in the Best Picture category, clinching a total of 8 nominations. This movie is a screen adaptation of a longest-running stage musical which tells the story of love and revenge in France.

“Argo”, a movie based on a true story about the hostage crisis in Tehran in 1979, when an American intelligence official tried to rescue trapped Americans by posing as a film crew, won 7 nominations, including Best Picture.

“Zero Dark Thirty”, a detailed account of the operation against al-Qaida leader Osama Bin Laden, won 5 nominations, including Best Picture.

Other movies nominated include “Amour”, which was a winner at Cannes and European Film Festival, “Beasts of the Southern Wild”, “Django Unchained” and “Silver Linings Playbook”.

Best Director nominations include Steven Spielberg for “Lincoln”, Michael Haneke for “Amour”, Benh Zeitlin for “Beasts of the Southern Wild”, Ang Lee for “Life of Pi” and David O. Russell for “Silver Linings Playbook”.

Daniel Day Lewis got his fifth Academy Award nomination for Best Actor for his role in “Lincoln”. He has already won Oscars for “My Left Foot” and “There Will Be Blood”. Bradley Cooper also got nominated in the Best Actor category for his performance in “Silver Linings Playbook”.

Hugh Jackman received nomination as Best Actor for his film “Les Miserables”. Joaquin Phoenix got nominated for his role in “The Master” and Oscar winner Danzel Washington for his film, “Flight”.

Meanwhile, Best Actress nominees include Jessica Chastain for “Zero Dark Thirty”, Jennifer Lawrence for “Silver Linings Playbook”, Emmanuelle Riva for “Amour”, Quvenzhane Wallis for “Beasts of the Southern Wild” and Naomi Watts for “The Impossible”.

Wallis, who was only nine when “Beasts of the Southern Wild” was released, has become the youngest nominee ever in the Best Actress category, whereas Riva, 85, has become the oldest actress ever nominated for Best Actress in the Academy Awards.