Oscar

An assessment of Stacy Keibler's attire this awards season reads like a children's bedtime story. Her Snooki-esque poofed hair and simple black dress lacked sophistication at the Palm Springs International Film Festival Awards Gala on Jan. 7. Her updo and crystal embellished gown screamed "too matronly" at the National Board of Review Awards gala on Jan. 10. But fashion critics said she hit her stride at the Golden Globe Awards on Jan. 15 with...

(UPDATES with final figures and total tune-in through the telecast.) The CBS telecast of the 54th Grammy Awards Sunday was seen by an average audience of 39.91 million viewers, according to Nielsen ratrings released by the network. That's the second largest Grammy average audience in history and the largest audience for the music awards show since 1984. In 1984, TV was on another planet in a pre-fragmented media galaxy. In today's media world, the audience the Grammys drew is huge.

Oscar nominee Viola Davis is featured on the cover of the February issue of the LA Times Magazine. While the article focuses on her work as an actor, mentor and soon-to-be producer, I think the real story is her hair - her natural hair. In a four-picture spread by photographer Ruvan Afanador, Ms. Davis' radiance is undeniable. With the exception of Whoopi Goldberg, this marks the first time, in recent memory, that an A-list, African-American, Oscar-nominated actress has dared to go "bare," so to speak.

No shock that “Hugo” and “The Artist” dominated this year's Oscar nominations (for a full list, go here . I even wouldn't have been surprised if the dog from “The Artist” had scored a nom. But there were quite a few pleasant surprises and head-scratchers Tuesday morning. A rundown: Surprises “Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close” for Best Picture: The subject matter (Sept. 11) has an unproven movie track record and the reviews ranged from OK to downright awful, but the late-entry drama somehow managed to be among the nine films vying for top honors.

You'll be excused if you get the Oscar nominations for Best Picture mixed up with a best-seller list. Most of the nominees drew their inspiration from the printed page, and I hope one of them wins the prize, to reinforce the value of literature. Here's a look at the nominees, and the books they drew on: -- "Hugo," a charmer adapted from "The Invention of Hugo Cabret" by Brian Selznick. -- "Moneyball," adapted from Michael Lewis' book about the impact of statistical analysis on major league baseball.

Oscars Sweepstakes OFFICIAL RULES NO PURCHASE NECESSARY TO ENTER OR WIN. A PURCHASE WILL NOT INCREASE YOUR CHANCES OF WINNING. The Baltimore Sun's Oscars Contest ("Sweepstakes") starts at 4:00 pm ET on Monday, February 6, 2012 and ends at 1:00 pm ET on Sunday, February 26, 2012 ("Sweepstakes Period"). This Sweepstakes shall be subject to these Official Rules, and by entering, each entrant agrees to abide and be bound by these rules and the decisions of the judges and Sponsors.

Oscar Thomas Jobe Jr., a city public school educator who rose from being a classroom teacher to chief of staff to two Baltimore school chiefs, died Sunday of complications from Parkinson's disease at Doctors Community Hospital in Lanham. The Mitchellville resident was 71. "Oscar was highly revered because he knew how to manage schools and work with people," said Walter G. Amprey, city school superintendent from 1991 to 1997, who earlier had been a Baltimore County public school administrator.

The Academy Award nominations will be announced Jan. 24. So we asked staff who most deserves a nod but will likely be ignored by the Academy. The dinosaur in"The Tree of Life. "It was a tough decision, but he did the right thing. Luke Broadwater, reporter, The Baltimore Sun I know reactions were mixed to"Martha Marcy May Marlene,"but I think it was powerful - moreso than"Take Shelter. " Anne Tallent, editor, b When will the "Harold & Kumar" franchise get its due?

Ah, the holiday movie season -- the interesting time when big-budget action battles Oscar contenders and talking chipmunks. Yet, we're pumped. Are you? Vote in our holiday movie season polls. Polls will close at noon on Tuesday, Nov. 15. Results will be published in our upcoming holiday movies edition.

Top-ranked Gilman entered Friday's I-95 Kickoff Classic sporting a national ranking, as well as a yearning to prove it deserved to be mentioned among the nation's elite. By early in the second quarter, the Greyhounds had erased any doubt. Facing Oscar Smith of Chesapeake, Va. - a team that had lost just two regular-season games since 2004 - the nine-time Maryland Interscholastic Athletic Association A conference champions scored the game's first 28 points, putting up 314 yards of offense in the first half alone on their way to a 51-27 win at Morgan State.