It may only be September, but it’s never too early to start predicting who might be up for Oscar gold! The Academy announced this week it will reveal their nominations a week earlier this year – so what better time to start the speculation?!
Ben Affleck already has one Oscar win on his resume thanks to his 1998 victory with Matt Damon for writing Good Will Hunting. He might add a second statue to the trophy case if the buzz surrounding his latest directorial effort, Argo, is to be believed. The movie is based on the true story of the heroic efforts to free six Americans taken hostage in Iran. The impressive cast 
featuring Bryan Cranston, Alan Arkin, Victor Garber, John Goodman and Affleck himself should be enough to pique the interest of Oscar voters, but Ben isn’t thinking about that right now. “Right now I’m just worried about getting the movie out, having humans come see it,” he reveals while promoting the film during the Toronto International Film Festival.
Speaking of TIFF, the Bradley Cooper and Jennifer Lawrence dramedy, Silver Linings Playbook, took home the festival’s top prize, which is a good indication it’s headed for some awards show glory. At the film’s red carpet premiere, Bradley tells our Cheryl Hickey he is just thrilled to be in the movie, calling the opportunity, “ridiculous.”;
Meanwhile, Joaquin Phoenix and Philip Seymour Hoffman are no strangers to the Oscars and their latest film, The Master, might get them another ticket to the big show. The film, which is rumoured to have been inspired by Scientology, cleaned up at the Venice Film Festival with acting awards for both Phoenix and Hoffman who plays a character loosely-based on Scientology founder, L. Ron Hubbard.
It’s been a while since we’ve heard from Helen Hunt, but the former sitcom star is back, playing a sex therapist in the touching film, The Sessions. Helen won an Oscar in 1997 and tells ET Canada another nomination for her latest film, “would not suck.”;
Also generating buzz are Keira Knightley and director Joe Wright, who are obviously a magical combination. The last time they collaborated, on 2007’s Atonement, the film scored seven Oscar noms. Their first project, 2005’s Pride and Prejudice, earned Keira a best actress nod. Now, their latest partnership, the adaptation of Tolstoy’s Anna Karenina, has set tongues wagging yet again in Hollywood – not just for Keira’s performance, but also for Jude Law’s turn as Anna’s cuckolded husband, Alexei Karenin and Aaron Taylor-Johnson for his portrayal of the dashing Count Vronsky.
Watch for more on the potential 2013 Oscar contenders on tonight’s show! Plus, take a look at these potential future award winners making the rounds at TIFF 2012 in our gallery here.
