Two pieces of Oscar news came out today. The first was that Oscar nominee Jennifer Lawrence was going to co-present the nominations with Academy president Tom Sherak.

The second news, a little more interesting for us prognosticators, was that the Academy has announced the 7 finalists for the Best Makeup award. This is one of the few shortlists outstanding and does give us an interesting look at what the Academy thinks is great makeup. The most surprising inclusion is Gainsbourg: A Heroic Life a film that wasn’t even a blip on the Oscar radar. Of course, this is the kind of small film that tends to get recognition where the Academy typically would ignore it (think Il Divo‘s nomination for Best Makeup). Of these, I’d say the ones with the best chances are Albert Nobbs, Hugo and The Iron Lady, though I’d rank the work in Harry Potter above Hugo.

7 Features on Oscar’s Makeup Palette

Beverly Hills, CA (January 9, 2012) – The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences today announced that seven films remain in competition in the Makeup category for the 84th Academy Awards®.
The films are listed below in alphabetical order:

“Albert Nobbs”
“Anonymous”
“The Artist”
“Gainsbourg: A Heroic Life”
“Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2”
“Hugo”
“The Iron Lady”

On Saturday, January 21, all members of the Academy’s Makeup Branch will be invited to view 10-minute excerpts from each of the seven shortlisted films. Following the screenings, members will vote to nominate three films for final Oscar consideration.

The 84th Academy Awards nominations will be announced live on Tuesday, January 24, at 5:30 a.m. PT in the Academy’s Samuel Goldwyn Theater.

Academy Awards for outstanding film achievements of 2011 will be presented on Sunday, February 26, 2012, at the Kodak Theatre at Hollywood & Highland Center®, and televised live by the ABC Television Network. The Oscar presentation also will be televised live in more than 225 countries worldwide.