Quvenzhané Wallis in 'Beasts of the Southern Wild' (Photo: Mary Cybulski/Fox Searchlight)

Wait a minute … are we missing some "old people" nominations?

Oscar seems to have a new spring in its stride this year as many of the acting-related Academy Award nominations went to relatively younger thespians -- a stark contrast to the Golden Globes, who this year ended up saluting the Hollywood veterans.

Indeed, this year sees the youngest-ever nominee for Best Actress in the form of Quvenzhané Wallis, 9, who was all of six years old when she filmed "Beasts of the Southern Wild." True, this year also sees the oldest-ever Best Actress nominee with Emmanuelle Riva, 85, for "Amour," but she's in something of a league of her own as compared to the other three nominees: Naomi Watts, 44; Jessica Chastain, 35; and Jennifer Lawrence, 22.

Oscar host/nominee Seth MacFarlane (Photo: Jennifer Graylock/FilmMagic)
When Seth MacFarlane hosts the 85^th Academy Awards on February 24^th, he will be in the rare position of also being a nominee. The “Family Guy” creator received an Oscar nomination for writing the lyrics to “Everyone Needs a Best Friend” from “Ted,” which he also wrote and in which he co-starred as the voice of Mark Wahlberg's teddy bear.

Stone, left, and MacFarlane in Beverly Hills on Thursday (Photo: Kevin Winter/Getty Images)

The Oscars went young with their choice for hosts two years ago, and it tanked. Last year, they went back to a tried-and-true comedian, but it was too safe and predictable. Will young and funny be the right mix?

This year's host, "Family Guy" and "Ted" mastermind Seth MacFarlane, gave us a preview of what to expect during the show when he announced the nominations Thursday morning.  Along with co-presenter Emma Stone, MacFarlane pulled off an irreverent, joke-infused presentation peppered with adept jabs at the nominees.

Ben Affleck on the set of 'Argo' (Photo: Warner Bros. Pictures)

"Frankly, I had something to prove when I got older. Down the road in my life. So I had something fueling that desire to work twice as hard, and I also had a little bit more maturity and perspective on it."

So said Ben Affleck in a recent interview with NPR, describing the desire and subsequent work ethic and has led to him becoming one of Hollywood's most respected auteurs -- indeed, a hot young(-ish) triple threat who can write, direct and act. He's one of the go-to top dogs at Warner Bros., a studio notorious for setting very high standards with their favorite filmmakers -- and, as of this morning, he's the Oscar-nominated co-producer of "Argo" (though he was notably not nominated for Best Director).

You've seen "Lincoln." Ditto for "Django Unchained." But what about "The Impossible"? If not, get thee to a movie theater before Reese Witherspoon shows up on your doorstep and drags you. The Oscar winning actress is the flick's No. 1 fan.

In a gushing letter to the film's star Naomi Watts, Witherspoon called "The Impossible" -- a story which details the true tale of one family's survival during 2004's tsunami -- "one of the best films I have ever seen in my life." She also praised Watts for her "brutal physical performance" as Maria, a mother charged with protecting a son under unfathomable circumstances. Her campaigning may have done the trick, as Watts received a Best Actress nomination on Thursday morning.

Witherspoon wrote: "Not since I saw Meryl Streep’s performance in 'Sophie’s Choice' have I been so moved by an actress’s performance. It also reminded me of Sally Field’s 'Norma Rae' as well. Such strength and absolute vulnerability in the same performance. A mother who is

Oscar nominee Anne Hathaway was willing to do a lot for her role as Fantine in "Les Miserables": She chopped off her hair, lost 25 pounds, and even sang. But she would not wear leather shoes.

The actress is vegan and asked the costume designer to make her footwear animal free as well.

Costume designer Paco Delgado, who used all custom footwear on the set, had special shoes for the star. "[Hathaway]'s vegan, so we couldn't use any animal materials on the shoes for her character Fantine," he told Footwear News. "We had to find very specific shoemakers to create lace-up boots and ankle boots."

Hathway isn't the only star with unusual demands on set. Nicole Kidman declined to use a racial slur written in the "Paperboy" script, despite the director's insistence. The period melodrama set in Florida, about a journalist and a murder, called for the actress to hurl the N-word at a black co-star. Kidman would not.

Director Lee Daniels expressed his bafflement at her decision. Speaking at a press

"Lincoln" leads the pack, but "Pi" took a surprisingly big slice of the nominations for the 85th annual Academy Awards. Actress Emma Stone and Oscars show host Seth MacFarlane announced the noms Thursday morning in Beverly Hills, and some smaller, little-seen films were recognized while many blockbuster hits got ignored.

Day-Lewis, left, and Spielberg in early November (Photo: REUTERS/Mario Anzuoni)It's now pretty well known that Daniel Day-Lewis didn't want to play the part of U.S. President Abraham Lincoln -- at first. It took several years, Liam Neeson bowing out, and a new script before Day-Lewis would even reconsider.

On Monday night, as Steven Spielberg presented Day-Lewis with an award for Best Actor at an annual New York Film Critics Circle dinner, the "Lincoln" director recited a letter the actor had written him, initially turning him down for the role. Reminiscent of a breakup letter Lincoln himself actually wrote, Day-Lewis set out to let Spielberg down gently, ending his note with "I send both my very best wishes and my sincere gratitude to you for having considered me."