STEVE INSKEEP, Host:
Oscar nominations were announced this morning, and here are clips from three of the films nominated for Best Picture.
(SOUNDBITE OF MOVIE, "TRUE GRIT")
M: (as Mattie Ross) Can we depart this afternoon?
M: (as Rooster Cogburn) We? You are not going. That is no part of it.
M: (as Mattie Ross) You have misjudged me if you think I am silly enough to give you $50 and watch you simply ride off.
(SOUNDBITE OF MOVIE, "THE KING'S SPEECH")
M: (As King George VI) You've destroyed the happiness of my family, all for the sake of ensnaring a star patient you couldn't possibly hope to resist. It will be like mad King George the stammerer.
(SOUNDBITE OF MOVIE "THE SOCIAL NETWORK")
M: (as Mark Zuckerberg) I need you.
M: (as Eduardo Saverin) I'm here for you.
M: (as Mark Zuckerberg) No, I need the algorithm used to rank chess players.
M: (as Eduardo Saverin) Are you OK?
M: (as Mark Zuckerberg) We're ranking girls.
M: (as Eduardo Saverin) You mean, other students?
M: (as Mark Zuckerberg) Yeah.
M: (as Eduardo Saverin) You think this is such a good idea?
M: (as Mark Zuckerberg) I need the algorithm.
M: (as Eduardo Saverin) All right.
M: (as Mark Zuckerberg) I need the algorithm.
INSKEEP: Kim, good morning.
KIM MASTERS: Good morning, Steve.
INSKEEP: What are some of the other seven films up for Best Picture here - at least one or two that we should keep an eye on?
MASTERS: Ten films up for Best Picture.
INSKEEP: Right. Total.
MASTERS: You just heard three. The other seven are "Inception," "127 Hours," "The Fighter," "Black Swan," "Toy Story 3," "Winter's Bone" and "The Kids are All Right."
INSKEEP: You said "127 Hours." Is that a movie about the Oscar presentations?
(SOUNDBITE OF LAUGHTER)
MASTERS: It could be, but it's a movie that a lot of people didn't necessarily want to watch, about this hiker who cut his arm off to get - escape with his life. And it's made the list.
INSKEEP: Well, when you have 10 films - we've talked about this in previous years - you have room for a little bit more creativity in the films that happen to get in, I suppose.
MASTERS: Certainly. A film like "Winter's Bone," I'm sure they're celebrating this morning - a very small film that could enjoy some kind of a bounce from this nomination.
INSKEEP: What about best actor and best actress?
MASTERS: Best actor - we, of course, have Colin Firth leading the pack for "The King's Speech." Also, Javier Bardem in "Biutiful," Jesse Eisenberg "The Social Network," Jeff Bridges for "True Grit," and James Franco - once again, cutting off that arm - in "127 Hours."
INSKEEP: Well, of course, if you cut off your arm, you could - you earn an Oscar, I suppose.
MASTERS: You deserve recognition. Yeah.
INSKEEP: Could I just mention - well, I mentioned that we heard Jeff Bridges in that clip earlier. We heard him interacting with Hailee Steinfeld. She got nominated for Best Supporting Actress - teenager.
MASTERS: She did, indeed. She's 14 years old. This is, basically, her first big gig. And a lot of people thought she would - might be in the Best Actress category, since she's in every frame of the film. But they - because of her youth, they did put her in supporting, along with Amy Adams from "The Fighter," Helena Bonham Carter for "The King's Speech," Melissa Leo, a strong contender for "The Fighter," and Jacki Weaver for a movie called "Animal Kingdom" - that most people probably haven't heard of, and one of those movies that gets a boost from this kind of mention.
INSKEEP: How are people feeling, as they look at the nominations this morning, and as they anticipated the nominations in recent days? Are people in Hollywood feeling like they made a good year of movies?
MASTERS: You know, I think what's interesting this time is that they are - there is a group of strong contenders. A lot of them are commercial hits as well as, you know, relatively artistically successful, more or less. And we have a real horse race this year because, you know, up until now, it's been "Social Network," "Social Network" and more "Social Network" picking up Globes, picking up critics' recognition. But Saturday night, the Producers Guild, a strong predictor, gave it to "King's Speech," and we have a major horse race in the Best Picture category.
INSKEEP: Kim, thanks very much.
MASTERS: Thank you, Steve.
INSKEEP: Kim Masters hosts THE BUSINESS on member station KCRW, and she is also editor-at-large for the Hollywood Reporter, bringing us up to date on today's Oscar nominations.