• 'Birdman,' 'The Grand Budapest Hotel' Lead Oscar Noms with 9 Each; Aniston, Adams, Jolie Overlooked

    Usually in the weeks leading up to the Oscar nominations, a pattern from other awards shows begins to develop and we kind of have a clue of who will ultimately be nominated for Hollywood's top prize. This year is a bit different because so many of the categories are wide open with numerous strong contenders. This morning, "Star Wars" director JJ Abrams and last year's Best Director winner Alfonso Cuaron announced the first 12 categories live while Chris Pine and Academy President Cheryl Boone Pine followed with the next 12 categories. When all was said and done, "Birdman" and "The Grand Budapest Hotel" are leading the nominations with nine each. There are also a few surprises in there. Jennifer Aniston has been acknowledged with a few best actress nominations for "Cake," but she was not on the Academy's radar and neither was perennial favorite Amy Adams. Also missing was a nod for Angelina Jolie's directing in "Unbroken." Check out a rundown of some of the major categories and tell us your thoughts!

  • Jennifer Aniston Nominated for SAG Award for Role in 'Cake'

    It looks like all that buzz surrounding Jennifer Aniston's performance in "Cake" is not for nothing because this morning the actress found herself on the short list of Outstanding Lead Actress contenders for the SAG Awards. It is a huge deal for Aniston just to be nominated after years of floundering in the rom-com zone. Now her name is being spoken among the likes of Julianne Moore, Reese Witherspoon, Rosamund Pike and Felicity Jones, all fellow SAG nominees this year. This time around Aniston embraced a totally different kind of character and tackled the role of chronic pain sufferer Claire Bennett with a real openness that has won her rave reviews since "Cake" first previewed in early September. In fact, it was the overwhelmingly positive response to it that prompted producers to rush to get it out this year, making it eligible for this current awards cycle rather than risking it getting lost at the beginning of next year's films. No one is likely more surprised by this nomination than Aniston herself. In recent weeks she has gotten a bit giddy just thinking about the fact that people were mentioning that "Cake" could be award-worthy. The actual nomination probably means almost as much as taking home the trophy would for the woman who, at least up until now, has been best known for her role as Rachel Green on "Friends."

  • Reese Witherspoon Has Never Been Anyone's 'Sweetheart'

    January is definitely Reese Witherspoon's month for covering magazines. Chalk it up to the fact that her career is booming with new films such as "Wild" dropping and Oscar buzz surrounding "Gone Girl," a film she produced. It is no wonder that Witherspoon is gracing the U.K. edition of "Harper's Bazaar" in a 1950s-inspired photo shoot. She also gets real in the January 2015 issue of "Glamour," where she takes on that whole notion of being "America's sweetheart." "I certainly didn't self-identify as anyone's sweetheart. I'm friendly, but I don't think I'm sweet. I'm honest. I don't think I realized [in my 20s] that no one else makes you whole. You have to take responsibility for your own happiness. That took me until I was about 31 to know. It wasn't easy to realize, 'Oh, wait, I am purely responsible [for my life]' — no relationship, no children, no nothing is going to make you a happy person. Every day you have to choose to find and cultivate your own happiness," says Witherspoon.
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