By Krissy Dolor
With today’s crack-of-dawn announcement of the 83rd Academy Awards nominees, the Oscar race has officially begun! This year’s big contender is The King’s Speech, leading the pack with 12 nominations. True Grit comes in second, with 10. Black Swan, The Social Network, The Fighter and Inception all received multiple Oscar nods as well, and like last year, there are 10 nominees for Best Picture. But all I can think about are the celebrity couples that will dazzle us in their designer gowns and dapper suits.
While we have to wait until Sunday, Feb. 27 for the big day, here are the five celebrity couples that should strut their stuff on the red carpet:
1. Natalie Portman and her soon-to-be-hubby, Benjamin Millepied: He was the choreographer of Black Swan and they shocked the world last month with their engagement and baby news! Need I say more?
2. Leonardo DiCaprio and Bar Refaeli: While Leo has been spotted with the likes of Blake Lively, there hasn’t been any mention of a breakup between him and his longtime supermodel girlfriend. Also, the actor is famous for staying away from red carpet events like the Oscars, so it would be nice to see him there – with anyone – at his side!
3. Justin Timberlake and Jessica Biel/Olivia Munn: Rumors from as recently as this month are flying that the actor/singer is still texting Munn, telling her that his relationship with Biel, his girlfriend of four years, “is basically over.” Will he – and a new woman – show up next month to support David Fincher and Aaron Sorkin’s nominations for The Social Network?
4. Sandra Bullock and Ryan Reynolds: Despite Bullock’s denial of any relationship with close friend and former castmate Reynolds, it’s hard not to secretly wish for the two of them to date, regardless of his recent split from actress Scarlett Johannson. But if Jesse James can find love with Kat Von D, Bullock should get out there and snag a new romance for herself, too! Or at the very least, some really hot eye candy.
5. Tom Hanks and wife Rita Wilson: Hanks’ second wife is the constant pillar of support that the actor and voice of Toy Story 3’s Woody has chosen to lean on for the past 20 years. Check out this picture of them at the 1989 Academy Awards. Why stop now?
Check back next month as we recap the top celebrity couples of the 2011 Oscars, which will be hosted by James Franco and Anne Hathaway and will air on ABC! And in case you missed this morning’s live stream, here are the nominations:
Leading Actor
* Javier Bardem, Biutiful
* Jeff Bridges, True Grit
* Jesse Eisenberg, The Social Network
* Colin Firth, The King’s Speech
* James Franco, 127 Hours
Leading Actress
* Annette Bening, The Kids Are All Right
* Nicole Kidman, Rabbit Hole
* Jennifer Lawrence, Winter’s Bone
* Natalie Portman, Black Swan
* Michelle Wiliams, Blue Valentine
Supporting Actor
* Christian Bale, The Fighter
* John Hawkes, Winter’s Bone
* Jeremy Renner, The Town
* Mark Ruffalo, The Kids Are All Right
* Geoffrey Rush, The King’s Speech
Supporting Actress
* Amy Adams, The Fighter
* Helena Bonham Carter, The King’s Speech
* Melissa Leo, The Fighter
* Hailee Steinfeld, True Grit
* Jacki Weaver, Animal Kingdom
Animated Feature Film
* How to Train Your Dragon
* The Illusionist
* Toy Story 3
Directing
* Darren Aronofsky, Black Swan
* David O. Russell, The Fighter
* Tom Hooper, The King’s Speech
* David Fincher, The Social Network
* Joel Coen and Ethan Coen, True Grit
Foreign Language Film
* Biutiful (Mexico)
* Dogtooth (Greece)
* In a Better World (Denmark)
* Incendies (Canada)
* Outside the Law (Hors-la-loi, Algeria)
Adapted Screenplay
* 127 Hours, Screenplay by Danny Boyle & Simon Beaufoy
* The Social Network, Screenplay by Aaron Sorkin
* Toy Story 3, Screenplay by Michael Arndt. Story by John Lasseter, Andrew Stanton and Lee Unkrich
* True Grit, Written for the screen by Joel Coen and Ethan Coen
* Winter’s Bone, Adapted for the screen by Debra Granik and Anne Rosellini
Original Screenplay
* Another Year, Written by Mike Leigh
* The Fighter, Screenplay by Scott Silver, Paul Tamasy and Eric Johnson. Story by Keith Dorrington, Paul Tamasy and Eric Johnson
* Inception, Written by Christopher Nolan
* The Kids Are All Right, Written by Lisa Cholodenko and Stuart Blumberg
* The King’s Speech, Screenplay by David Seidler
Best Picture
* Black Swan
* The Fighter
* Inception
* The Kids Are All Right
* The King’s Speech
* 127 Hours
* The Social Network
* Toy Story 3
* True Grit
* Winter’s Bone
For the complete list of nominations, visit E! Online.
