The 2011 Oscar nominations will be announced on 25 January, with the awards ceremony due to follow on 27 February.

BBC: Toy Story 3 makes animated Oscar longlist

Controversial stories surrounding Oscar favourites are not unheard of in the run-up to the awards ceremony.

BBC: Jean Dujardin Oscar 'under threat' over film posters

Since 2008, the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences has been playing with the formula for Best Picture in the hopes of getting more popular films nominated (and boosting viewership for the Oscar ceremony which last year was watched by fewer people than watched the Grammy Awards).

FORBES: Why Your Favorite Movie Won't Get An Oscar Nomination