We may not know who will play the leading lady and man in the adaptation of E.L. James' steamy "mommy porn" book, "Fifty Shades of Grey"; however, it looks like the much-anticipated film may receive an NC-17 rating. 

Screenwriter Kelly Marcel told The Sunday Times her plans to keep the film about billionaire Christian Grey and his BDSM relationship with Anastasia Steele as close to the book as possible. And, from the sound of it, she doesn't plan on holding anything back. 

"We are 100 percent going there," said Marcel. "It will be rated NC-17. It will be raunchy."

However, fans everywhere may want to keep their pants on as there's no certainty the film will actually get the rare rating.

Why not?

Well, for one thing, Universal reportedly has no knowledge of Marcel's plans yet.

Both a spokesperson for the studio and film producer Dana Brunetti told The Hollywood Reporter there isn't any screenplay on which to base a rating.

Also, we're not sure if there's enough material in the first book for the film to justify an NC-17 rating. 

Sure, Grey gives the girl a contract to waiver her rights to a list of submissive desires including the use of riding crops, flogging, and there's the fact that Ana's never allowed to touch him throughout any of their sexual endeavors. 

However, much of the novel revolves around the fact that a BDSM-style relationship is new to the 22-year-old Steele.

It's not like the characters are having sex every minute of the book. 

"Fifty Shades of Grey" is about a virgin grappling with the idea of a sexual fantasy life. At the same time, it's about the darker secret revolving around Grey's personal past that led him to this BDSM lifestyle.

What scenes from the book could lend themselves to the potential NC-17 rating from the MPAA?

You can read over the book's naughtiest bits here, but to give you a PG-rated idea of Fifty's dirtiest laundry, these are a few picks that stand out: 

• A hot elevator makeout session.
• Ana's naive reaction to Christian's nude body.
• Ana's joyride with some silver ben wa balls.
• Christian's dirty talk in the bedroom.
• There's also another scene depicting Grey hitting Steele with a riding crop while handcuffed.

However, the worst thing to happen to Steele – other than the riding crop – is that she gets violently spanked in the bedroom by Grey, resulting in her running off near the end of the novel.

That's it. Spanking. The two aren't going hot and heavy for 300+ pages of the erotic thriller. 

Much of the dominant-submissive relationship reminds us of 2002's "Secretary" with James Spader and Maggie Gyllenhaal (interestingly enough Spader's character is also named Mr. Grey). That film's rated R.

For fans who helped the book rise to the top of best-selling charts last year, they may be excited by the idea of an NC-17 rated film, but there's plenty more reason Universal may be against it.

NC-17 films have never fared well at theaters. 

• "Crash" (1996) featuring James Spader and Holly Hunter earned $2 million at theaters. (The film only made it into 339 theaters.)
• "Showgirls" (1995) earned $20 million in total.
• "Last Tango in Paris" (1973) featuring Marlon Brando and having an X rating earned $36.1 million.

Other erotic and BDSM style films have received R ratings ("Nine 1/2 Weeks" "Color of Night" which featured Bruce Willis). They didn't make a splash at theaters either.

Universal coughed up $5 million last March to beat out ten other studios for rights to the film, so they may not be so apt to risk it on an NC-17 film. 

Of course, none of the previous films had as mass a following as "50 Shades." 

SEE ALSO: The final installment of "Twilight" receives 11 Razzie nominations > 

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Just hours after Taylor Swift and Harry Styles had a January 4 blowout in Virgin Gorda that led to the couple's break up, the One Direction singer headed to Richard Branson's private Necker Island where he was quickly comforted by Bravo's "Start-Ups: Silicon Valley" star, Hermione Way.

The 27-year-old reality star cozied up to the 18-year-old boy-bander as they partied together with a group of people in a hot tub.

"They were having a good time and hanging out with everyone in the hot tub," a source close to One Direction reveals exclusively to Business Insider. "Harry stayed on Necker through dinner and into the early morning hours, feasting and drinking with the island guests and Richard Branson. The party continued after dinner back in the pool, they had a wild night."

At one point Styles reportedly picked up Hermione and jumped in the pool with her in his arms.

For the record, the legal drinking age in the British Virgin Islands is 18 years old — so Styles just makes the mark to party with his older pals.

Styles' fellow hot tub partiers include (from left) an identified male, successful Austrian entrepreneur Constantin Bisanz (who Business Insider ironically picked as a dream cast member for a "Start-Ups: New York" cast), and billionaire Richard Branson, to whose neck Hermione is clinging.

But at the end of the wild night, Styles returned to Virgin Gorda ... solo.

In fact, our trustworthy source adds that "nothing really happened between them" and the initial Sun report is "overblown."

Here's another shot of the two hanging out in the hot tub before Styles later jumped in with Hermione:

Hermione, along with her brother Ben, is the co-founder of Ignite, a personal health startup. Hermione deals with marketing while Ben is focused on the tech side of the company. Their unsuccessful pitch to VC Dave McClure is the subject of a recent episode of "Start-Ups: Silicon Valley," which Bravo has just relegated to a near-death time slot.

For her part, Hermione is remaining mum on what actually went down, tweeting today to her over 21K inquisitive followers: 

But before the media pegged her to Styles, Hermione was clearly ready to have a good time:

And is not shy about posing in a bikini, as she posted this shot to her Instagram account:

Hermione also gave her Twitter followers a glimpse into Branson's daily routine on his island:

"This is Richard Branson playing tennis at 8am, he kites at 9am, has meetings at 1pm, kites at 4pm and parties until 12."

Hermione also posted this YouTube video of her boat ride arriving at Necker Island:

Related:

Exclusive: Taylor Swift & Harry Styles break up after blowout in the BVI >

Meet Ben & Hermione Way, the sibling entrepreneurs starring in Bravo's 'Start-Ups: Silicon Valley' >

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Big Bang Theory star Kaley Cuoco has a new role to master: She's now William Shatner's secret daughter in the Priceline Negotiator ads.

The Butler, Shine, Stern & Partners-created spot shows Shatner dropping his daughter off at a monastery as a child and picking her up a decade or two later, suited up and ready to negotiate. "You're a master of monkey style Kung Fu!" Shatner proclaims.

Cuoco, who also just landed herself a role alongside Kate Upton and Bar Refaeli in the Super Bowl's commercial breaks, thinks that she and Shatner are a perfect match, telling the AP: "The nerdy factor, the Trekkie stuff, it goes with `Big Bang' and it all worked together."

Priceline has been throwing the original negotiator a lot of curve balls in the last year.

In January 2012, execs decided that The Negotiator didn't fit in with their new sales model ... so they pushed the character off a cliff in a Priceline bus to his fiery death. ("I'm in grief mode. It's not the first time I've had an iconic character die off," Shatner said.)

Realizing that was a huge mistake shortly after — a Citigroup analyst even joked that it was Priceline's biggest market risk— Priceline brought the actor back in August as a surfer. The other option was a resurrection as a half man/half robot.

All that and then a daughter?

SEE ALSO: Read About Cuoco's Super Bowl Spot>

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Model Barbara Palvin tweeted a photo of herself with Justin Bieber backstage at the Victoria's Secret Fashion Show in November.  

Before long, Palvin, 19, began receiving death threats from ardent fans of Bieber and his on-again, off-again girlfriend Selena Gomez. 

“[I was getting tweets] like, ‘Dumb b----, I’m gonna kill you and find you, I know where you live,’ It was scary,” Palvin said, according to Fashionista.com. 

While tabloids later linked Palvin to Bieber and even alleged they had a secret getaway in Miami, the model insists she only knew him from the fashion show.

The pair did, however, go see the Lion King together in New York, and a picture surfaced on Twitter showing Bieber posing with rapper Lil Twist and Palvin in the background. 

After the picture was posted, Gomez tweeted it with the caption "...," fueling speculation that Palvin and Bieber were romantically involved. 

DON'T MISS: Victoria's Secret Angels Without Their Make-Up >

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George R.R. Martin, widely regarded as this generation’s Tolkien, just released a sample chapter from his upcoming book "Winds of Winter," which is scheduled to be published in 2014.

Martin is the prolific genius behind "A Song of Ice and Fire," the fantasy series that has been adapted into HBO’s hit TV series "Game of Thrones."

"A Song of Ice and Fire" chronicles the epic power struggle between seven families in a medieval world full of magic and misadventure. "A Dance with Dragons," the most recent edition of the saga, set sales records in 2011.

Meanwhile, the "Game of Thrones" Season two Finale attracted 4.2 million viewers, and the series as a whole was the most pirated show of 2012.

The 64-year-old author is a master at keeping his fans involved and engaged. He’s been known to treat fans who come out to see him at conventions with impromptu readings from his upcoming works.

The new chapter reveals an important message delivered to Princess Arianne from Lord Jon Connington, who travels with the would-be King-in-waiting.

You can find the chapter in its entirety right here.

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Yesterday, actor Norman Reedus (Daryl) Instagrammed photos from an upcoming Super Bowl ad for "The Walking Dead," and now AMC revealed a new poster for the show's return next month.

It's pretty ominous.

Mini spoiler: If you've read the comics, we know The Governor eventually gets even with Rick, but not at the expense of an eye. However, the show's known to stray A LOT from the comic series.

Here's the text for the return of the season via ComingSoon: 

"With his group in tatters, his sanity in question, and his own son questioning his every move, Rick (Andrew Lincoln) must somehow pull everyone together to face their greatest challenge -- the Governor (David Morrissey). In order to survive, he must risk everything, including the group's very humanity."

"The Walking Dead" returns February 10 on AMC at 9 p.m. 

SEE ALSO: Beyonce's leaked February GQ cover >

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The people have spoken!

According to preliminary Nielsen numbers, Jimmy Kimmel trumped reigning late night king Jay Leno during his debut night in the competitive 11:35 PM time slot.

"Jimmy Kimmel Live!" had a .99 rating compared to a 0.78 rating for "The Tonight Show With Jay Leno" and a 0.63 rating for "The Late Show With David Letterman," reports The Wrap. 

As of January 8, "Jimmy Kimmel Live!” moved from midnight to the 11:35pm time slot — putting the show in direct competition with CBS’ “Late Show” with David Letterman and NBC’s “Tonight Show” with Jay Leno.

Kimmel opened the show by joking about his improved air time, saying, “I am now 25 minutes closer to my lifelong dream of co-hosting 'The View'."

"I understand what’s at stake here, and I don’t take this responsibility lightly, especially with the Kanye West-Kim Kardashian baby on the way,” Kimmel said in his opening monologue. “This is the time I shine bright like a diamond,” he continued, referencing a Rihanna song lyric.

But what do Kimmel's veteran competition think of the new kid on the block?

"I want to wish you the best of luck when you move the show," Kimmel's ultimate idol Letterman told him during a November interview. "I think it'll be exciting. I think you're going to be perfect at 11:30 ... I couldn't be happier than to have you in the running."

As for what Kimmel thinks of his other competition, Leno, he has bluntly stated, “Everyone is better than Leno.”

And now it appears "everyone" agrees, unless it's beginners luck thanks to the time change hype.

Stay tuned.

SEE ALSO: Read the witty rejection letter David Letterman sent Jimmy Kimmel in 2002 >

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Controversy has erupted over Oxygen's new in-development reality series All My Babies' Mamas, which stars rapper Shawty Lo, who has fathered 11 children by 10 different mothers.

The Parents Television Council calls it "grotesquely crass and exploitative " and writer Sabrina Lamb has started a petition against All My Babies' Mamas that has already earned more than 20,000 signatures.

But as bad as All My Babies' Mamas might be, can it really compete with the very worst that reality television has to offer?

Here, 10 of the dumbest, grossest, most offensive reality TV shows ever aired.

1. Buckwild (2013-present)

MTV's latest reality series, which nakedly aims to ape the formula that made Jersey Shore a ratings success, follows an utterly unsympathetic group of teenagers as they shoot, punch, and drink their way through life in rural West Virginia. 

2. Here Comes Honey Boo Boo (2012-present)

Buckwild probably wouldn't exist without TLC's hit proto-redneck reality series Here Comes Honey Boo Boo— itself a spin-off of the similarly odious Toddlers & Tiaras. Child pageant contestant Alana Thompson, better known as the eponymous Honey Boo Boo, goes through life under the care of parents "Mama" and "Sugar Bear."

3. Amish Mafia (2012-present)

Discovery Channel's latest foray into trashy reality TV follows four young Amish men who serve as self-appointed "fixers" in their religious community, which seems mostly to entail harassing people and committing petty crimes. According to The New York Times, the show admits to featuring an unspecified number of "select re-enactments," making the title "reality show" an even bigger stretch than usual.

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In Tuesday night's "Jimmy Kimmel Live!" segment titled "Mean Tweets," the show's celebrity guests take a moment to read real, rude tweets from viewers.

Watch funny readings (and reactions) from Selena Gomez, Larry King, Dr. Phil, Simon Cowell, Jessica Biel, David Arquette, Kirstie Alley, Hayden Panettiere, Anderson Cooper, Christina Applegate, Jack Black and more.

SEE ALSO: Jimmy Kimmel beats Jay Leno in first night of new time slot >

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Lance Armstrong is finally ready to talk. And Oprah Winfrey is willing to listen. But does he have anything new and important to say? He and his interviewer will look plain silly next week if Armstrong just belatedly admits to what has become blindingly obvious: that he didn't win the Tour de France seven times on bread and water alone.

Armstrong's path to some sort of redemption, if there even is one, cannot lie in a televised and webcast chat with Winfrey, but in total cooperation with the anti-doping and cycling authorities who say he was a serial cheat. They could still use his help to prevent future deception on such a mammoth scale if he was willing to give it.

The U.S. Anti-Doping Agency produced hundreds of pages of seemingly damning evidence that Armstrong systematically doped. Who else knew? Who were the drug pushers? Who provided the medical expertise? How was doping hidden so effectively and for so long? Did officials who run cycling know? Were they paid to look the other way? How, precisely, down to the very last detail, did Armstrong, his teammates, doctors, managers and others for years run what USADA described as "the most sophisticated, professionalized and successful doping program that sport has ever seen?"

Those are the important questions for Armstrong, not how he feels about his downfall and being stripped of the Tour wins that made him famous. A few baleful looks of regret in his steely blue eyes, a drip or two of remorse, a flash of anger directed at those who exposed him or a give-me-a-hug speech about how recent months have been tough on his family would be compelling television, because watching once powerful people squirm always is. But talking to Winfrey won't be of considerable help to the fight against doping, for his sport or even to any hopes Armstrong may have of perhaps one day being freed of his lifetime ban from competition.

Names, dates, bank records, email chains and sworn testimony from Armstrong. That's what could be useful. Evidence that perhaps only he could provide to maybe expose others involved in doping — people who might still be in sport today, still maintaining the code of silence.

Another important question for Armstrong is whether doping might somehow have contributed to the testicular cancer that spread to his lungs and brain in his 20s. Armstrong has always maintained that he didn't dope. If he now changes that story and tells Winfrey he believes it was a factor in his illness, perhaps that could deter other athletes asking themselves whether steroids are worth the risk.

An Armstrong confession "could be important for the future generations, and important for the sport," said Filippo Simeoni, a former Italian rider. "It would be huge, especially if he tells everything."

"The Armstrong phenomenon wasn't just about him. The entire system was involved. He was allowed to do what he did with a lot of people's help — for years and years," Simeoni said in a phone interview. "It seemed like everyone knew but nobody said anything."

Armstrong merely telling Winfrey that he is sorry, that doping wasn't a major deal because so many in cycling were doing it, or that his campaigning against cancer should outweigh any bad he did as a cyclist, would be self-serving, useless to the effort to clean up his sport.

The World Anti-Doping Code offers the potential reward of reduced bans for repentant cheats who cooperate with the authorities and provide "substantial assistance" to unmask others. Sitting on a sofa with Winfrey wouldn't count. Any "substantial assistance" Armstrong could provide would have to be given under oath to be considered for any possible reduction to his lifetime ban, the World Anti-Doping Agency says. It also would have to be new evidence, stuff USADA didn't already have. And article 10.5.3 of the anti-doping code says that, at best, a lifetime ban cannot subsequently be reduced to anything less than eight years. So Armstrong, now 41, could be well into middle age before he might become eligible to compete again in triathlons, one of his post-cycling pursuits before he was banned.

So why bother talking to Winfrey, why agree now to what her website bills as a "no-holds-barred interview?" Armstrong said in a statement last August that "regardless of the circumstances," he would never again speak publicly about the USADA charges. So why the U-turn?

Because, for whatever reason, Armstrong has decided that talking again is now best for him. But it's what he says — or won't say — that matters. Maybe he won't confess anything to Winfrey. He could simply use her platform to once again tear into USADA and its CEO, Travis Tygart, accuse him of wasting taxpayer dollars on a "witch-hunt." British bookmaker Ladbrokes was giving even odds Wednesday that Armstrong would tell Winfrey he is innocent and never tested positive.

Or he could maybe say sorry but not say exactly what for. Contrition without a confession. Say something just short of "I doped" to try to avoid legal exposure that doing so might bring. Wriggle past Winfrey's questions the way he used to find gaps between riders in the pack at the Tour.

A plus for him is that Winfrey was ever so gentle when she interviewed Marion Jones in 2008. She didn't challenge the disgraced former sprint star when she said that she never knowingly took performance-enhancing drugs. Jones said she believed she was taking a supplement — flaxseed oil.

"I take flaxseed oil," Winfrey responded helpfully.

Winfrey is interviewing Armstrong at his home in Austin, Texas, so he'll be on comfortable ground. What a hoot it would be if they speak in the room where Armstrong has hung seven of the yellow jerseys the Tour gives its winners. Last November, he posted a photo of himself sprawled on the sofa in that room, looking up at his shirts, with the breezy words: "Back in Austin and just layin' around." That was provocative, not seemingly the action of someone gripped by remorse.

If Armstrong does break the habit of a lifetime and confess, he surely would also have to apologize to begin rehabilitating his reputation and standing. Lots of apologies. To those he duped. To those who may have had more successful careers in cycling had he and his team not scooped up so much glory. To critics he savaged. To people who stood up to him, like Simeoni, the rider Armstrong tore after and tried to silence at the 2004 Tour after the Italian spoke to authorities about doping.

For all of that and for a career that USADA demonstrated was largely built on fraud, 90 minutes with Winfrey will not make amends.

___

John Leicester is an international sports columnist for The Associated Press. Write to him at jleicester(at)ap.org or follow him at http://twitter.com/johnleicester

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Just 30 minutes from now, Oscar host Seth MacFarlane and actress Emma Stone will announce the 85th annual Academy Award nominations honoring this year's best in film.

The nominations will be announced live from Los Angeles at 5:30 AM (PST).

MacFarlane will be the first Oscar host to make the announcement since 1972. With up to 10 movies nominated for the big Best Picture prize, there are sure to be at least a few surprises in the mix. 

Stay tuned in 3, 2, 1 ...

SEE ALSO:

Watch Seth MacFarlane's Oscar host announcement video >

21 films you need to see in 2013 >

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Seth MacFarlane and Emma Stone have just announced the nominees for the 85th annual Academy Awards.

"Lincoln" leads with 12 nods, while the "Best Actress" category nominated both the oldest and youngest actresses in Oscar history.

While Anne Hathaway, Helen Hunt, Bradley Cooper and Denzel Washington all got the nod, Kathryn Bigelow, Quentin Tarantino, Ben Affleck, Christopher Nolan and "Skyfall" did not.

Nominations announcer and Oscar host Seth MacFarlane even got a nod for "Best Orginal Song" for "Ted," joking "That's cool I'm nominated, I get to go to the Oscars now."

This is the second year that the Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences has opted for nine "Best Picture" contenders, despite having the power to nominate anywhere from five to 10 films.

See the full list below from Oscars.org:

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• There won't be one more time for Britney on the "X Factor." The singer is reportedly leaving the show after one season. According to TMZ, she wants to focus on her music. She'll be releasing a new album later this year.
• Jennifer Lawrence was the big winner at last night's People's Choice Awards. She was voted both favorite movie actress and favorite face of heroism. Her movie, "The Hunger Games" also won big for favorite movie, action movie, and movie franchise – sorry "Twilight." 
• No Harry? No problem. Taylor Swift showed up to the PCA's with an entirely new look.  
• If you want to see more from the PCA's, check out some behind-the-scenes photos. 
• FX will launch two new drama series and three comedies this year.  
• If you were looking forward to Steven Spielberg's sci-fi film "Robopocalypse" based on Daniel H. Wilson's 2011 book, it's been shelved indefinitely. 
• After a good year in 2012, Oprah's OWN network will add six new original series this year.  
• Charlie Sheen wrote a $12,000 check toward the funeral of the photographer who passed away while covering Justin Bieber.   

Oscar nominations are out. See who made the list! >

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First Scarlett Johansson took over Al Roker's weather duties while he had laryngitis, and now actor Mark Wahlberg is doing the local weather report for Fox 29's “Good Day Philadelphia.”

While on the show to promote his new film "Broken City," Wahlberg and director Allen Hughes delivered the below, mostly ad-libbed segment.

"Look at this congestion here," Wahlberg says. "We're expecting 40- to 45-minute delays if you're coming east bound on the 676 here. You're going to have some serious problems. Why don't you stop and get yourself a hoagie?"

We don't think he should quit his day job ...

Philadelphia News, Weather and Sports from WTXF FOX 29

SEE ALSO:

Scarlett Johansson did the weather on the 'Today' show this morning >

Celebrities read mean tweets about themselves in this funny 'Kimmel' segment >

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If you were looking forward to Steven Spielberg possibly uniting with Anne Hathaway in a robot apocalypse, you'll have to keep dreaming. 

According to The Hollywood Reporter, DreamWorks future sci-fi apocalyptic film "Robopocalypse" has been shelved indefinitely — despite the director's 12 Oscar nominations this morning for his film "Lincoln."

Based on Daniel H. Wilson's 2011 bestseller of the same name, the story follows a future society completely reliant on robots which rises up and annihilates most of the human race save a small group planning to fight back.

DreamWorks and 20th Century Fox were to co-finance the project, which would have reunited Spielberg with Fox for the first time since "Minority Report" in 2002.

The film was also in talks to star both Anne Hathaway and Chris Hemworth and start production this spring with a 2014 release.

What put the brakes on the film? 

Spielberg's spokesman Marvin Levy told THR it was "too important and the script is not ready, and it's too expensive to produce. It's back to the drawing board to see what is possible." 

According to Reuters, budget estimates for the film coming in at around $160 million.

Another reason is that Spielberg wasn't happy with the current script.

Reuters reports that the current script being drafted by "The Cabin in the Woods" director Drew Goddard wasn't "landing where Steven wanted it."

It isn't the first time the film has been delayed. 

Previously, the sci-fi movie had a release date of July 3, 2013.

"Robopocalypse" was set to be Steven Spielberg's next film following "War Horse," but after setting his sights on "Lincoln" the project was pushed back to a 2014 release. 

There was already speculation Spielberg may look toward a different project after he expressed his boredom with action films on "60 Minutes" back in October. 

"I could do the action in my sleep at this point in my career," said Spielberg. "In my life, the action doesn't hold any-- it doesn't attract me anymore."

SEE ALSO: Lincoln received 12 Oscar nods. See the full list of nominees >

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On Thursday, Oscar host Seth MacFarlane and actress Emma Stone arose at 5:30 AM to announce who made 2013's list of Oscar contenders.

As the comedic pair read the nominees, we couldn't help but notice the A-list names that were left out of this year's top honors in film.

Somewhere in Hollywood, Ben Affleck probably reacted like this when he wasn't nominated for Best Director for his passion project, "Argo" — although the film did get a Best Picture nod.

But Affleck was in good company, as many top Hollywood talents were also majorly snubbed by the Academy, while Steven Spielberg was celebrated.

"Lincoln" gets lots of love and leads with 12 nominations.

With 12 nods, "Lincoln" leads the pack with the most nominations of any film.

Steven Spielberg was nominated for Best Director, Daniel Day-Lewis for Performance by an actor in a leading role, Tommy Lee Jones for Performance by an actor in a supporting role AND Sally Field for Performance by an actress in a supporting role.

Not to mention, a Best Picture nomination.

The film also got nods for excellence in Cinematography, Costume design, Film editing, Original score, Production design, Sound mixing and Adapted screenplay.

"Life of Pi" comes in second with the most nods.

Ang Lee's 3D adventure "Life of Pi" earned 11 nominations despite taking in only $91.2 million at the box office after costing $120 million to make.

The film was nominated in top categories Best Picture and Best Director, as well as Cinematography, Directing, Film editing, Original score, Original song – “Pi’s Lullaby,” Production design, Sound editing, Sound mixing, Visual effects and Adapted screenplay.

Seth MacFarlane ends the announcement of "Best Supporting Actress" category by saying, "Congrats ladies, you no longer have to pretend to be attracted to Harvey Weinstein."

Here's how the competition is stacking up:

• Amy Adams in "The Master."
• Sally Field in "Lincoln."
• Anne Hathaway in "Les Misérables."
• Helen Hunt in "The Sessions."
• Jacki Weaver in "Silver Linings Playbook."

While Hathaway only appeared in "Les Misérables" for about half of the film, she is an Academy favorite, as she even hosted the awards show in 2011.

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It looks like Justin Timberlake will be putting out another album.  

At least, that's what the singer / actor's big announcement today hinted toward. 

His unveiled a video on a countdown website just after noon today.  

Entitled "I'm Ready," Timberlake rues on what the next decade means for him and gives an explanation for why he's only released two albums in the past decade. 

"It means more to me than anybody else in the world," says Timberlake. "I don't know that I could physically torture myself that much year in and year out and expect it to fulfill me the way that it does and the way that it is right now I don't want to put anything out that I feel like is something I don't love." 

Timberlake's last album was "FutureSex/LoveSounds in 2006. 

Watch the video below:

Currently, there's a timer on the website that will unveil something else in three days time. 

SEE ALSO: The Oscar nominations are out! See who made the list >

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The next time you find yourself passing through Trout Falls, Mont. and are looking for a place to spend the night, look no further than the Hobbit House of Montana.

Tolkien fans will be thrilled to find the Hobbit-themed vacation rental, available for $245 a night.

The Shire, as owners Steve and Chris Michaels call it, gives you a pleasant, authentic experience, down to the last details of the doorknobs and cobblestones.

A welcoming sign greets you as you drive up on Hobbit Lane.

Don't drive in without making a stop at the Troll House first! Guests get a Troll House cookie when they check in.

Just like in 'The Hobbit,' everything really is underground. Take a look from this view from above. There are plenty of trails and paths to hike in the foothills of the Cabinet Mountains.

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The Academy made the rare choice this year of having ceremony host Seth MacFarlane also announce the Oscar nominees, giving viewers a taste of what's to come February 24.

And that taste elicited some laughs, some wariness, and a lot of genuine discomfort from all around the world of Hollywood.

In the pre-6 a.m. hour this morning, MacFarlane came out swinging with jokes about actresses having sex with Harvey Weinstein and the relationship between Amour, a quiet movie about a dying woman, and Hitler. 

"Congratulations, you five ladies no longer have to pretend to be attracted to Harvey Weinstein," he said after announcing the nominees in the supporting actress category. There were laughs, and audible groans. 

After he and actress Emma Stone unveiled the foreign language film nominees, MacFarlane said: "I read Amour was co-produced in Austria and Germany, right? The last time Austria got together and co-produced something it was Hitler, but this is much better." Oy. 

Ken Tucker at Entertainment Weekly wrote that MacFarlane was "smug, condescending" but added "I can't wait for him to host the show itself — it may be one for the ages." Implication: it may piss off a ton of people. Which could make for good entertainment, à la Ricky Gervais at the Golden Globes. Piers Morgan certainly looked at it that way:

On a positive note, already clear that @sethmacfarlane is going to be a wonderfully inappropriate, snarky and hilarious host. #Oscars

— Piers Morgan (@piersmorgan) January 10, 2013

Not that, given MacFarlane's body of work, his material will be all that hard to predict:

"Hi, I'm Oscars host Seth MacFarlane and this reminds me of the time...[cut to montage of Hanna-Barbera jokes and Hitler references]"

— Dave Itzkoff (@ditzkoff) January 10, 2013

Certainly some on Twitter now have a sense of trepidation heading into the awards:

Here's hoping MacFarlane's Oscar material is better - even marginally - than his Oscar nominating material. (Hitler joke? Oh groannnnn.)

— vernejgay (@vernejgay) January 10, 2013

Seth MacFarlane has already made a Hitler joke. The Academy must be wondering what they've gotten themselves into...

— Ravi Hiranand (@RaviCNN) January 10, 2013

Predix: Oscar trainwreck w asshat MacFarlane making bad jokes re: humorless actors (Jones, DeNiro, Phoenix, Day-Lewis, Washington, Chastain)

— Logan Hill (@loganhill33) January 10, 2013

If that Hitler joke that Seth MacFarlane made is a preview of what is to come at the #Oscars this year, I'm going to throw things #facepalm

— Sabina Ellahi (@SabinaEllahi) January 10, 2013

I really can't wait for 2.5 hours of watching Seth MacFarlane make his post-joke smugface over and over and over again.

— Jessica Coen (@jessicacoen) January 10, 2013

The folks over at Twitchy were also none too happy, but don't say MacFarlane didn't warn us:

Just a heads up, @stonenobrien, I'm a cranky bastard at 5 a.m.

— Seth MacFarlane (@SethMacFarlane) January 10, 2013

And let's not forget MacFarlane is actually up for an award: he wrote the lyrics for "Everybody Needs A Best Friend," from his movie Ted.

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