These directorial snubs REALLY favor "Lincoln" and Spielberg. As an aside, I saw it over the holidays. Great movie. I'll be absolutely SHOCKED if Tommy Lee Jones loses out to DeNiro.

Oscar Watch: 'Lincoln' leads nods as shocking Best Director snubs knock out 'Les Miz,' 'Argo,' Zero Dark Thirty'

By Lou Lumenick, NY Post

It's hard to imagine a scenario where Steven Spielberg's "Lincoln,'' which led today's Oscar nominations with 12 nods, loses the Best Picture trophy next month after the director's branch decimated what were considered Spielberg's strongest competitors by denying them crucial nominations. (No film has won Best Picture without a Best Director nod since "Driving Miss Daisy'' in 1989.)

"Les Miserables,'' "Argo,'' and "Zero Dark Thirty'' were all nominated for Best Picture, along with with "Django Unchained.'' But their directors -- Tom Hooper, Ben Affleck, Kathryn Bigelow and Quentin Tarantino, respectively -- were all snubbed in the Best Director race. Instead, lots of Oscar pundits were left with egg on their faces when the nods went instead to the other directors of Best Picture nominees that were considered weaker contenders: Michael Haneke ("Amour''), Ben Zeitlin ("Beasts of the Southern Wild''), Ang Lee ("Li of Pi'') and David O. Russell ("Silver Linings Playbook'').

A less shocking snub occured in the Best Actor race, where John Hawkes of "The Sessions'' got edged out in a field that includes Daniel Day-Lewis ("Lincoln''), a prohibitive favorite unless the academy hesitates about making him the first three-time winner in this category; Denzel Washington ("Flight''), Hugh Jackman ("Les Miserables''), Bradley Cooper ("Silver Linings Playbook'') and, perhaps most surprisingly, Joaquin Phoenix ("The Master'') who has expressed his contempt for awards.

Marion Cotillard also failed to get an expected nod for the French film "Rust and Bone'' in the Best Actress category, where the nominees include both the oldest-ever -- Emmanuelle Riva, 85, of "Amour'' -- and the youngest ever, nine-year-old Quvenzhane Wallis of "Beasts of the Southern Wild,'' as well as Naomi Watts ("The Impossible'') and the two leading contenders, Jennifer Lawrence ("Silver Linings Playbook'') and Jessica Chastain ("Zero Dark Thirty'').

"Silver Linings Playbook'' also scored nods for Best Supporting Actor -- where Robert De Niro will square off against four other past winners, Alan Arkin ("Argo''), Philip Seymour Hoffman ("The Master''), Tommy Lee Jones ("Lincoln'') and Christophe Waltz ("Django Unchained'') -- Best Supporting Actress (where Jacki Weaverr will be pitted against Amy Adams ("The Master''), Sally Field ("Lincoln'') and Helen Hunt ("The Sessions'') as well as for Russell's Adapted Screenplay and even Best Editing.

The Best Picture and Best Editing categories have become closely linked in recent years. The only Best Picture nominees that have both Best Director and Best Editing nominations are "Lincoln'' and "Life of Pi.'' So effectively, it's now a three film race for Best Picture, with "Lincoln'' way out in front.

Read more: Oscar Watch: 'Lincoln' leads nods as shocking Best Director snubs knock out 'Les Miz,' 'Argo,' Zero Dark Thirty' http://www.nypost.com/p/blogs/movies/osc...O#ixzz2HcQYNk24