Seth MacFarlane is best known as the creator of the often risque "Family Guy" series, not generally the kind of biography touted by an Oscar host. With a reported billion people watching worldwide, some Oscar fans wondered what MacFarlane would pull out of his bag of tricks Sunday night.

Everything, it turned out, and anything -- including a series of initial jokes that elicited as many gasps and groans as laughs. Sure, he made a solid base hit with his first words: "And the quest to make Tommy Lee Jones laugh begins now" (cut to the man whose poker face became a meme during the Golden Globes chuckling gently). But a reference to Chris Brown and Rihanna's relationship problems (joking that they considered bloody and violent "Django Unchained" "a date movie") crossed a line for some, as did his comparing the multiple uses of the n-word in "Django" to "Mel Gibson's voice mails."

Fortunately, Capt. Kirk arrived to try and save the night. An enormous screen descended from the top of the stage featuring William Shatner in full "Star Trek" regalia, pointing out to MacFarlane that his jokes were "tasteless" and "inappropriate."

Shatner/Kirk showed the first of several "future clips" and headlines indicating that MacFarlane had ruined the telecast: First, a performance of "We Saw Your Boobs," a song that named a number of actresses who went half-dressed in various films. (Cut to pre-filmed clips of actresses giving him dirty looks for pointing out that at some point, billions of movie fans out there saw, well, their boobs.)

And no surprise, a boob singing songs about boobs won over the crowd, temporarily. It didn't necessarily win over the viewing audience, however, and spawned the first of what would be an evening's worth of blog posts and Tweets questioning whether MacFarlane was sexist. Buzzfeed made a list,  The Atlantic Wire said the monologue was "maybe racist and sexist," and of course the Twitterverse weighed in. 

But all of that was happening off-camera, and back on stage MacFarlane knew he had to "fix" the future. So he launched into "The Way You Look Tonight" as Channing Tatum and Charlize Theron danced in classic Fred-and-Ginger style behind him, a move that didn't fix everything. Shatner next had to explain why MacFarlane's sock-puppet reenactment of "Flight," in which he wore a brown sock to represent Denzel Washington, bombed at the "future" Oscars.

"You're a white guy in 2013," said Shatner to MacFarlane. "You can't wear black hand."

And that's when the mood of the crowd sank again. The truth: White guys doing racial humor, no matter how gentle, still makes everyone uncomfortable. So MacFarlane led into another older tune -- MacFarlane, Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Daniel Radcliffe hoofing it to "High Hopes," a song popularized in 1959.

It still wasn't quite enough, said Shatner, to make MacFarlane an acceptable host -- and another future clip featured him dressed as Sally Field's character "The Flying Nun," chatting up Field backstage, ultimately making out with her and driving off in a "Smokey and the Bandit"-style Trans Am. "I went home with Sally Field, that's awesome!" he said.

But without Field there to get her Oscar, Shatner told him, Amy Adams "ran up and grabbed it ... they tried to take it from her and she bit a guy." So, the final attempt: MacFarlane had to give the crowds a showstopper of an opener. One more big song and dance number: "Beauty and the Beast's" peppy "Be Our Guest." And that seemed to do it -- Shatner's screen vanished, and projected across the back of the stage, the new headline: "Best Oscars ever, says everyone except Entertainment Weekly."

Cut to the new Tommy Lee Jones of the evening, the unsmiling nominee Joaquin Phoenix. So maybe Entertainment Weekly is in good company. 

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Ben Affleck's revenge? Maybe. Despite the "Argo" director's much-talked-about snub on the best director nomination list, his film took home the best picture Oscar Sunday night, the final award of an evening that seemed even more ploddingly paced than usual.

Affleck seemed genuinely thrilled and touched as he speed-shouted out his thanks, including expressing gratitude to Canada, a near-necessity after that country's ambassador said he felt his nation's contributions to the 1980 rescue depicted in the film were underplayed.

AP

The Ben Affleck-directed film "Argo," Jennifer Lawrence and Daniel Day-Lewis were major winners at Sunday night's Oscars.

"I was here 15 years ago and I had no idea what I was doing," Affleck said, referring to his 1997 original screenplay Oscar win for "Good Will Hunting." "I never thought I'd be back here."

In a surprise twist, the win for "Argo" was read not by presenter Jack Nicholson, but by first lady Michelle Obama, via a live satellite presentation from the White House.

Obama praised the importance of the arts in the lives of young people, saying "every day, through engagement in the arts, our children learn to open their imaginations, to dream just a little bigger and to strive every day to reach those dreams."

Slideshow: 2013 Academy Awards red carpet

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"Argo" beat out eight other best-picture contenders, including Steven Spielberg's "Lincoln," which was expected by many to dominate the night. But helped in part by publicity from the Affleck snub, "Argo" came on strong and by Oscar night, was considered by many to be a best-picture favorite.

"Lincoln" didn't follow through on its early best picture hopes, but for months, star Daniel Day-Lewis had been the overwhelming favorite. He didn't disappoint -- he took home his third best actor Oscar, making him the first actor to claim three wins in that category. He was quick to joke with presenter Meryl Streep, saying, "before we agreed to a straight swap, I had been commissioned to play Margaret Thatcher." Streep won an Oscar for playing Thatcher in "The Iron Lady" in 2011.

Jennifer Lawrence surprised many by claiming the best actress honor for her role in "Silver Linings Playbook," then surprised them again by tripping as she walked up to accept the award. She put her hands down on the stairs leading to the stage, steadied herself, and continued on to the microphone.

"You guys are just standing up because you feel bad that I fell," Lawrence said, looking out at the standing ovation that greeted her.

Christoph Waltz won the night's first statuette, for "Django Unchained," 15 minutes into the show, kicking off a long slog of musical numbers and minor awards until Anne Hathaway's  best supporting actress award an hour and a half later.

In his speech, Waltz gave special thanks to Quentin Tarantino, the film's director, saying "you climbed the mountain ... because you were not afraid."

Hathaway won as expected for her role as the desperate prostitute Fantine in the big-screen version of "Les Miserables," a part her own mother once played on a national tour.

"It came true," Hathaway said while holding her trophy. She closed her speech with the hope that in the future, "the misfortunes of Fantine will be found only in stories and never again in real life."

Mario Anzuoni / Reuters

Anne Hathaway accepts the award for best supporting actress for her role in "Les Miserables.

The best director category became controversial back when the nominees were announced, with Affleck and "Zero Dark Thirty" director Kathryn Bigelow left off the list. Many awards-watchers felt Steven Spielberg would claim the honor for "Lincoln," but it was Taiwanese director Ang Lee who won the Oscar for his work on "Life of Pi."

"Family Guy" host Seth MacFarlane began the show with a lengthy song, dance and humor segment that included an appearance by William Shatner, appearing as "Star Trek's" Captain Kirk, and chastising MacFarlane for a supposed poor performance that Kirk came back from the future to correct.

MacFarlane's humor is often risque, and a few lines from his opening segment and throughout the show earned gasps from the audience. He joked that "Django Unchained's" near-constant use of the n-word was because the film was "loosely based on Mel Gibson's voicemails."

Later in the show, MacFarlane complimented Daniel Day-Lewis' performance in "Lincoln," and said that "the actor who really got inside Lincoln's head was John Wilkes Booth." The reference to Lincoln's assassin didn't go over well, leaving MacFarlane to crack, "Really? 150 years and it's still too soon?"

The show's theme was music in film, which was spotlighted in numerous segments.

The always-popular "In Memoriam" montage showing photos of those in the industry who died in the past year ended with an image of Marvin Hamlisch. As his image scrolled away, Barbra Streisand strolled on stage to sing Hamlisch's "The Way We Were," which won the best original song Oscar in 1973.

A montage of dramatic scenes from James Bond films was shown to celebrate that film franchise's 50th anniversary, with Bond girl Halle Berry introducing the footage. Singer Shirley Bassey, who sang three of the Bond theme songs, sang "Goldfinger" as part of the tribute.

It was a timely nod, because later in the show, singer Adele and co-writer Paul Epworth won the Oscar for best original song for "Skyfall," the theme to the latest Bond film.

Kevin Winter / Getty Images

Adele accepts the Oscar for best original song for "Skyfall."

A tribute to movie musicals featured Catherine Zeta-Jones singing "All That Jazz" from "Chicago," and Jennifer Hudson bringing down the house with "And I Am Telling You I'm Not Going" from "Dreamgirls." Hugh Jackman, Anne Hathaway, Eddie Redmayne, Amanda Seyfried, Samantha Barks, Russell Crowe and other cast members from "Les Miserables" capped off the performances with a medley from their musical.

Both screenplay awards went to best picture nominees. Quentin Tarantino won the original screenplay award for "Django Unchained," the slavery drama that had already won Waltz his supporting-actor honor. Praising the strong work of current screenwriters, including his competition, Tarantino announced, "This will be the writer's year!"

"Argo," adapted from an article in Wired magazine, won the award for best adapted screenplay, with writer Chris Terrio dedicating the honor to CIA employee Tony Mendez, who was instrumental in the 1980 rescue of American embassy employees from Iran that forms the center of the film.

"33 years ago, Tony, using nothing but his creativity and his intelligence ... got six people out of a bad situation," Terrio said.

Slideshow: 2013 Academy Awards

ABC

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The best sound editing award ended in an Oscar rarity — a tie. Presenter Mark Wahlberg announced the Academy had come to a split decision, and gave the award to both "Zero Dark Thirty" and "Skyfall."

"Life of Pi" won the most Oscars of the night. In addition to Lee's best director honor, the film claimed awards for cinematography, original score and visual effects. The winners of the visual effects award were cut off by the ominous theme from "Jaws" as their speech ran over — a musical choice that was revisited later when "Searching for Sugar Man," a documentary about little-known American singer Rodriguez and his unexpected popularity in South Africa, won the Oscar for best documentary feature and the film's director began to ramble.

"Brave," the story of a Scottish princess who battled to establish an adult relationship with her mother the queen, won the Oscar for best animated feature. "Paperman" won the award for best animated short.

"Anna Karenina" won for best costume direction, and "Les Miserables" for makeup and hair.

"Curfew" won the award for live-action short film, and "Inocente" for documentary short subject.

"Les Miserables" won the Oscar for best sound mixing.

"Lincoln" won for production design.

Austria's "Amour," which was also nominated for best picture, won the award for best foreign-language film. The film, set in France, stars French actress Emmanuelle Riva, who turned 86 on Oscar night and was a best actress nominee.

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This story was originally published on Sun Feb 24, 2013 8:58 PM EST

Frederic J. Brown / AFP - Getty Images

Too cute? Best Actress nominee Quvenzhané Wallis arrives on the red carpet for the 85th Annual Academy Awards on Feb. 24.

You gotta hand it to Quvenzhané Wallis – the youngest Oscar nominee isn't carrying Chanel or Dior at Sunday night's Oscars, but rather, a stuffed animal.

The 9-year-old star of the nominated fantasy drama "Beasts of the Southern Wild" hit the red carpet carrying a plush pooch purse decked out in a tiara, the latest in a long series of stuffed animal bags she's been spotted with throughout this awards season. And they're not just for show: the actress told Ellen Degeneres she carries the puppy purses for good luck (a little more animal-friendly than a rabbit's foot). Take a look at the budding fashionista's playful accessories:

Frazer Harrison / Getty Images

Quvenzhané Wallis attends the 2013 Film Independent Spirit Awards at Santa Monica Beach on Feb. 23.

Kevin Winter / Getty Images

Wallis attends the 85th Academy Awards Nominations Luncheon on Feb. 4.

Robyn Beck / AFP - Getty Images

Wallis arrives at the 65th annual Directors Guild Of America Awards held on Feb. 2 in Hollywood, California.

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Jessica Chastain arrives at the Oscars.

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If you're a betting sort, you'd be better off steering clear of a lot of Academy Awards action this weekend. Find another place to wager -- maybe April's NFL draft or the weekend box-office numbers. While some Oscar categories seem like total locks, there's enough last-minute murmuring among film fans that a few shake-ups are almost guaranteed.

Warner Bros., DreamWorks

"Argo" and "Lincoln" are still favorites for the best-picture Oscar in what remains a wide-open race.

Start with your sure things. You're good to go if you pick Adele's "Skyfall," the James Bond theme song, to take home the best original song honor. Daniel Day-Lewis is unlikely to be toppled as the best actor front-runner, and Anne Hathaway is dreaming a very good dream as she scoops up award after award for her role as Fantine in "Les Miserables" -- she'll likely claim the best supporting actress Oscar too.

But in category after category, all bets are off. Best picture looked like a lock for "Lincoln," but a snub in the best director category for Ben Affleck threw the spotlight on "Argo." Sure, he won't be competing with Steven Spielberg and Ang Lee for the director's Oscar, but his being ignored may have helped his film gain attention -- and maybe a statuette.

Best actress? Jessica Chastain was an early favorite for her role as CIA agent Maya in "Zero Dark Thirty." Her star has fallen as young upstart Jennifer Lawrence of "Silver Linings Playbook" earned more and more attention. Lawrence, just 22, claimed the Golden Globe and the Screen Actors Guild honor for her role. And as Oscar night looms, the oldest contender of all is starting to claim some buzz. French actress Emmanuelle Riva, nominated for her role in "Amour," is 85 -- and she'd be the oldest best actress winner ever if she receives the trophy. (There's also a young contender in Quvenzhane Wallis, who is just 9, but it'd be a shock if she pulled it off.)

The winners aside, the ceremony itself is also full of unanswered questions. "Family Guy" creator Seth MacFarlane will host for the first time, and his edgy humor isn't the style the Oscars usually go for. He could neuter his jokes for a presumably more traditional Oscar audience, or he could go all-out with innuendo and insults, which could either earn him criticism or praise for pushing the envelope.

Slideshow: 2013 Oscar nominees

Warner Bros., DreamWorks, Univer

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Though the Oscar show lineup isn't clear, plenty of rumors are out there about what will happen when. Some major stars will be presenting awards, including Jack Nicholson, Dustin Hoffman and Meryl Streep.

There's expected to be a segment honoring 50 years of James Bond, though early hopes that all of the Bond actors would reunite seem to have been dashed. A tribute to movie musicals, pegged to the best-picture nomination for "Les Miserables," is expected to highlight recent musicals such as "Chicago" and "Dreamgirls."

Many eyes will be on the annual In Memoriam tribute. Every year, viewers watch for inclusion of their favorite movie stars, directors and others in the industry who passed away the previous year. And every year, the montage leaves one or more major names out, and Twitter lights up with complainers. This year, it will be especially tough for the Academy to please everyone. 2012 saw dozens of deaths from all aspects of moviedom, from Whitney Houston to Jack Klugman, Ernest Borgnine to Nora Ephron.

And those who remember Academy Awards telecasts past, where the orchestra rushes to play off winners whose blather on in their speeches, know that the three-hour show always has trouble keeping to its timetable. Which makes a recent Academy decision seem odd, or perhaps welcome: Instead of ending the show with the night's biggest award -- best picture -- the Academy has announced it will end with a musical number by host MacFarlane and Broadway and Hollywood star Kristin Chenoweth. Makes sense if you consider that this means the final speeches won't be cut short. But will viewers stick around for a musical number once they've already seen the show's last big award? Like so many questions about this year's Oscars, we won't know until the end of the show.

The Oscars air Sunday at 8:30 p.m. ET on ABC.

Who do you pick to win? Vote in our poll, and tell us on Facebook.

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It's a little late to hurt Argo's Oscar chances at this point, but Ken Taylor doesn't intend to let the Ben Affleck-directed film win Best Picture in peace this Sunday. 

Pinpointing historical inaccuracies in this year's crop of Oscar nominees has been quite the sport these days, be it the wrong senator voting against the 13th Amendment in Lincoln or the major uproar from Washington, D.C., over the torture depicted in Zero Dark Thirty.

And, albeit somewhat more quietly and politely, Taylor--the former Canadian ambassador to Iran played by Victor Garber in the film--has been banging the drum for what he perceived to be a huge slight toward his role (and his country's) in the rescue of six Americans during the Iranian hostage crisis in 1979.

Ben Affleck talks Argo's Oscar prospects

"In the movie, Canada and Ottawa didn't exist," Taylor told the New York Times' Carpetbagger blog. "It's a great film, it's great. But at the same time, it was a Canadian story that's been, all of sudden, totally taken over by the Americans. Totally."

"I don't want to be hard on Tony Mendez," he added, referencing the CIA agent played by Affleck who led the covert op. "I want to give him all the credit I can. But at the same time, I'm a Canadian, and enough is enough."

Taylor also told the Associated Press today that it would be "a further reflection" on Affleck if Argo wins Best Picture and he fails to thank the Canadians who played such a huge role in the real-life version of events.

See the 10 best-dressed stars ever at the Oscars

Jimmy Carter, who was president of the United States at the time, said on Piers Morgan Tonight yesterday that, while he was hoping for a big night for Argo at the Oscars, "Ben Affleck's character in the film...was only in--stayed in--Iran a day and a half. And the main hero, in my opinion, was Ken Taylor, who was the Canadian ambassador who orchestrated the entire process."

Taylor, who says he was not invited to Argo's premiere at the Toronto Film Festival last year, said during a talk at Toronto's Ryerson University on Feb. 14 that, "after I saw the movie, I decided that I did bring one particular skill to this movie, that was opening and closing a door.

"We could go on, but the amusing side is the script writer in Hollywood had no idea what he's talking about." 

Don't miss Ben Affleck's first short film--it's "atrocious!"

The 78-year-old Taylor did attend a special screening of Argo in L.A. and was interviewed for the bonus features on the DVD and Blu-ray, which came out Tuesday, and he says he was able to address the issues he had regarding Argo's depiction of the Iranian people and other discrepancies he perceived.

With only a few nights to go till the Oscars and with SAG, DGA, PGA and Golden Globe Awards under his belt (to name a few) so far, Affleck wrote to the Carbetbagger that he's "surprised to hear that Ken still has issues about the film, as the last time we had contact was a few weeks ago when Ken asked me to narrate a documentary about the Iran hostage crisis that he is prominently featured in."

See all the films nominated for Best Picture heading into the 2013 Oscars 

"There would be a very compelling film that is primarily about the heroism of ambassador Taylor before Tony Mendez even hears about the crisis--and, in fact, that film already exists (1981's Escape From Iran: The Canadian Caper--starring Gordon Pinsent)," Affleck added. "We weren't interested in remaking that film."

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Many of this year's Oscar-nominated films are based on true stories ("Lincoln," "Zero Dark Thirty," "Argo") or on well-known novels ("Les Miserables," "Life of Pi"). And as you can imagine, it's easy for those stories to put a twist on a tale -- often intentionally, for drama's sake -- not telling it the way it was in real life or in an earlier book.

Those changes mostly go unnoticed unless you're really familiar with the source material, but we found five notable ones.

Sony Pictures

The SEALs in "Zero Dark Thirty" made too much noise, says a man who should know.

1. Osama bin Laden raid was too noisy in 'Zero Dark Thirty'
Who can you believe about the death of Osama bin Laden if not the man who killed Osama bin Laden? That former Navy SEAL spoke to Esquire magazine and saw the movie for the first time with Phil Bronstein, who wrote the Esquire article. He pointed out some minor errors -- the dog on the real mission was a Belgian Malinois, not a German Shepherd and the night-vision goggles worn by the SEALs in the film didn't exist when bin Laden was killed. But his biggest correction? The real SEALs went about their mission in silence. In the movie, a SEAL loudly yells "Breacher!" when he wants someone to blow a door at the compound, and characters call out bin Laden's name. In real life, the SEALs storming the Pakistan terrorist compound tried to keep as quiet as possible, for obvious reasons.

2. No one chased the plane onto the runway in 'Argo'
Kathleen Stafford, one of two women among the six Americans rescued from Iran in the events that inspired "Argo," told the Washington Post that the film Hollywooded up her actual experiences. "Argo" is full of fictionalized sections -- in real life, the six were split between two homes, not just the Canadian ambassador's, for one thing, and Canada's role is downplayed in the film in order to make the CIA look like more of a player. But perhaps the most dramatic scene in the film, where Iranian revolutionaries drive out on an airport runway chasing a departing plane just as it lifts off, never happened. Tony Mendez, the real CIA operative played by Ben Affleck, reports that the airport departure was "smooth as silk," with only a minor mechanical problem slightly delaying takeoff, not gun-waving revolutionaries.

Warner Bros.

"Argo" added drama to its airport scene.

3. Connecticut wasn't pro-slavery as shown in 'Lincoln'
Unless you live in the Nutmeg State, you probably didn't notice how Connecticut voted on the Thirteenth Amendment in the movie "Lincoln." But Rep. Joe Courtney sure did. He wrote a letter to director Steven Spielberg complaining that two out of three Connecticut votes are seen being cast against abolishing slavery. In real history, all four votes from his state were pro-abolition. (The film's screenwriter acknowledged he changed the facts.) A Lincoln historian pointed out that the film actually got a lot of things right, including Lincoln's enjoyment of a certain bathroom joke. The historian's quibbles were minor: Mary Todd Lincoln's teeth were too white, the word "sniper" would not have been used, General Lee did not surrender from horseback, and Abe Lincoln didn't swear so much.

4. Was that song really in 'Les Mis'?
Fans of the "Les Miserables" musical know it backwards and forwards. They know what someone who's never seen "Les Mis" on stage wouldn't -- that the song "Suddenly," about Valjean's love for adopted daughter Cosette, isn't in the stage show. But that's hardly a goof, it's an intentional addition. Since it was an original piece for the film, "Suddenly" was the one song eligible to be nominated for a best original song Oscar. (We're guessing it will lose to Adele's "Skyfall.") Fans seem to like the new song. As theologian Mark Roberts points out, it's smartly written and the title hearkens back to a word in Victor Hugo's novel.

5. Samuel L. Jackson's favorite swear word didn't exist in 'Django' days
Much of the controversy surrounding "Django Unchained" was about its near-constant use of the n-word. But another term drew attention too. You know it: Starts with "mother," incorporates a famous f-word. Samuel L. Jackson, who plays Leonardo DiCaprio's creepy slave-hating slave Stephen, says it four times in "Django," but according to IMDb.com, that expression was unlikely to have been used until World War I. Mother--oh, never mind.

Weinstein Company

Samuel L. Jackson's favorite swear word wasn't around in slavery times.

What's your pick for best picture? Vote in our poll, and tell us on Facebook.

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Barring a huge upset, Daniel Day-Lewis will receive the best-actor Oscar for “Lincoln” on Feb. 24 and pull off what Marlon Brando, Dustin Hoffman, Jack Nicholson and Spencer Tracy could not --  become the first three-time winner of the award. It would also cement his reputation as the best, and probably most eccentric, actor of his generation.

Miramax, 20th Century Fox, Dream

Day-Lewis undergoes incredible physical transformations for his roles. From left, the actor in "Gangs of New York," "The Last of the Mohicans," and "Lincoln."

Day-Lewis previously won Oscars for his unforgettable portrayals of disabled artist Christy Brown in “My Left Foot” (1989) and oil baron Daniel Plainview in “There Will Be Blood” (2007). Now he’s nominated for his iconic role as Abraham Lincoln in Steven Spielberg’s film about the Great Emancipator’s shrewd campaign to outlaw slavery with the 13^th Amendment.

Slideshow: Daniel Day-Lewis

Reuters

The Oscar winner's own life is the stuff of movies. He is the son of a British poet laureate and married to a famous playwright's daughter.

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Despite a relatively slim filmography that includes only 19 features over the last three decades, the chameleon-like 55-year-old Brit has delivered more memorable performances than any other actor of his era. He’s the male Meryl Streep, someone whose own persona disappears on camera, a perfectionist performer who is hardly recognizable from film to film.

He’s brilliantly brought to life such divergent characters as a 19^th-century mobster (“Gangs of New York”), an Irishman falsely imprisoned for an IRA bombing (“In the Name of the Father”), a gay punk (“My Beautiful Laundrette), an ex-con fighter (“The Boxer”), a farmer accused of witchcraft (“The Crucible”), a wealthy New York lawyer (“The Age of Innocence”), and a womanizing Czech surgeon (“The Unbearable Lightness of Being”).

Day-Lewis is so worshipped that it’s almost heresy to point out that his resume also includes some duds. “Eversmile, New Jersey” is humdrum comedy; he was horribly miscast in the musical “Nine;” and “The Ballad of Jack and Rose" is a pretentious bore. Still, he’s one of the most fascinating actors around.

Watch how he physically morphs from one character to the next. As Hawkeye in “The Last of the Mohicans,” with sported flowing shoulder-length hair, gym-toned pecs, and a musket strapped on his back, Day-Lewis never looked sexier. As Bill “The Butcher” in “Gangs of New York,” he was a cold-blooded killer with a glass eye, more menacing than Mike Tyson in his prime.

And of course, there’s his current turn as Abraham Lincoln in “Lincoln.” Though his lanky frame suggests he might have been born to play the role, Day-Lewis’ face looks more gaunt than usual and the chin-curtain beard helps him fit our historical Lincoln image to a T.

A physical transformation is one thing, but Day-Lewis also manages to completely change his voice to fit the part, too. As Christy Brown in “My Left Foot,” he perfectly captures the slurred, halting speech of a cerebral palsy victim who learns to write and paint with his foot. Drawing on his “Gangs of New York” role again, his guttural, street-wise voice is almost as scary as his character's "Butcher" nickname. And his most recent best actor win, as Daniel Plainview in “There Will Be Blood” he invented a unique frontier accent that sounds like a hybrid of Jack Palance and John Huston.

To achieve those distinctive personas, Day-Lewis has been known to stay in character even after the cameras stop rolling. For instance, he reportedly never left his wheelchair on the set of “My Left Foot.” He learned to hunt and skin animals for “The Last of the Mohicans” and apprenticed as a butcher for “Gangs of New York.” He trained for 18 months with former world champion Barry McGuigan for “The Boxer,” and in a move that certainly raised a stink, supposedly did not bathe or shower while shooting “The Crucible."

Day-Lewis can be romantic on screen -- who can forget his smoldering love scenes with Lena Olin and her bowling hat in "The Unbearable Lightness of Being’’ -- but he can also be vicious. When he bludgeons preacher Eli Sunday with a bowling pin in "There Will Be Blood,’’ he looks like he needs an exorcism.

Day-Lewis’ official anointment as the most decorated actor of all time is expected during Sunday’s Oscar broadcast, 8:30 p.m. ET on ABC.

Is Daniel Day-Lewis the best actor of his generation? What's his best role? Tell us on Facebook.

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NBC

Jimmy Fallon prepares the puppies for their Oscar picks.

Will "Zero Dark Thirty" nab top honors on Sunday night? Does "Lincoln" have the edge? Maybe "Argo" is the clear Oscar contender. Of course with "Django Unchained," Les Miserables," "Life of Pi," and "Silver Linings Playbook" all in the mix for best picture, as well as "Amour" and indie breakout "Beasts of the Southern Wild," it's just so hard to say.

So what should you do before laying down a bet in the office Oscar pool? Turn to the prediction pros, of course -- puppies!

Hot off the heels of their winning Super Bowl pick, Jimmy Fallon's favorite team of fluffy pups returned to "Late Night" Wednesday to make the call.

With nine shiny bowls of dog food to choose from, each tagged with the name of one nominated film, the pooches stormed the stage and … well, they ate food from the several of the closest bowls in an attempt to fill up fast. Hey, first and foremost, they're dogs.

But fear not, their Kreskin skills kicked in eventually. A couple of furballs zeroed in on one bowl in particular and made it official: "Argo" is destined to win!

Or possibly not. They're only puppies after all.

Which movie do you think will win the Oscar for best picture? Share your thoughts on our Facebook page.

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Oh, Oscars. We love you, we hate you. You're the king of all awards shows, but you still bring with you all the problems of any awards show.

Gary Hershorn / Reuters

Oh, Oscars. We love you, we hate you.

Maybe we're just jealous. Jealous because we worked really hard on that TPS report last spring, and yet were neither paid millions of dollars for it nor invited to a glamorous televised ceremony a year later to be praised for it. But then again, we didn't have our fashion choices mocked by a thousand bloggers, or have our disappointed face made into a meme when we lost to Jim from Accounting.

WHAT WE LOVE ABOUT THE OSCARS:

1. The fashion
Yes, it's getting weirder all the time, but still, stars clean up for the Academy Awards in a classier way than they do the other awards shows. Jennifer Lopez's famous cleavage-splitting, double-taped green dress? She wore that to the 2000 Grammys. Grace Kelly's breathtaking ice-blue satin Edith Head gown? She wore that to the 1955 Oscars. Advantage: Oscars.

2. The In Memoriam segment
Hollywood's been around long enough now that some of our favorite players have left us for that great stage-door canteen in the sky. In 2012 alone, we lost Whitney Houston, Ernest Borgnine, Andy Griffith, Jack Klugman, Nora Ephron and so many more. Seeing them, even so briefly, as the screens of the In Memoriam segment flash by, gives us a last chance to remember the joy they brought to our lives.

Kevin Winter / Getty Images

Liz Taylor was included in the 2012 In Memoriam segment.

Amy Sancetta / AP file

Angelina Jolie's leg went to the 2012 Oscars.

3. The random storylines that pop up
The Oscar producers try to make everything run like clockwork, but humans are human, and delightfully so. People mess up.  Angelina Jolie weirdly juts her leg out of her gown on the red carpet and the world doubles over with laughter. Sacha Baron Cohen dumps fake Kim Jong-il ashes on Ryan Seacrest and Seacrest lets his professional facade down for a second and looks legitimately ticked off. It's all the weirder for happening at the Oscars, that rehearsed-to-within-an-inch-of-its-life gala, kind of like when the snooty lady at church tucks her dress in her pantyhose by mistake.

WHAT WE HATE ABOUT THE OSCARS:

Kevin Winter / Getty Images

James Franco and Anne Hathaway were criticized for their 2011 Oscar hosting attempt.

1. The hosts
This year, it's "Family Guy" creator Seth MacFarlane, so we're holding out hope things could be lively and even entertaining. But in the past, many Oscar hosts have been snore-worthy. No one dares push the envelope as Ricky Gervais did at the Golden Globes, and the less said about James Franco and Anne Hathaway's 2011 attempt, the better.

2. The listy speeches
The best speeches come when the winner appears to speak from the heart, even if their remarks are prepared. Share a sweet little anecdote about the film, or how you practiced for this day as a kid by delivering your speech into a bottle of Love's Baby Soft, and you'll find the audience rapt. But recite a list of everyone from your eight managers to your dog-sitter to your pool boy, and we're wishing we could yank that statuette back from you and give it to someone else.

3. The Academy's voting habits
The stereotypes about Academy voters being old and boring and in love with their own industry still hold up. "The Artist" was a fine film, but did Hollywood reward it so heartily in 2012 for its high quality, or for being about Hollywood? Was 2006's "Crash" really the best film of that year? And who can't sing, or at least hum, "Blame Canada" from the 1999  "South Park" movie? Yet it lost the best original song Oscar to a bland Phil Collins love song from Disney's "Tarzan." Who's responsible for that outrage? We blame Canada.

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This year is special. It’s the one in which that you’re finally going to win your Oscar pool. You may not go 24 for 24, but you’ll have history on your side to get you close to that magic number.

 This year, with “Argo” making a late-surge for best picture, a Pixar film ("Brave") that isn’t a shoo-in for best animated film and, as always, a host of difficult categories, the field is open for you to beat that film geek three cubicles over.

Here are five historically tried-and-true steps to help you through your pool:

1. Lean towards dramas and period pieces
The Academy tends to go for more serious pieces in the big four categories (film, director, actor, actress). The last time a musical or comedy took home the best picture Oscar was “Chicago” in 2002 and before that it was Woody Allen’s “Annie Hall” in 1977. However, for supporting actors and actresses, the Academy likes to have a bit more fun. Remember Penelope Cruz’s supporting role as an off-the-wall ex-wife in 2008’s “Vicky Cristina Barcelona”? We sure do. The Academy loved it too.

2. Sound is for blockbusters, costumes are for historical dramas
Figure these out and you can rack up points on the categories where your competitors are just throwing darts and guessing. For sound, think big and popular  In most years, this is where action films shine. On the other side of the coin, best costume is almost invariably given to anything set before 1900. “Marie Antoinette”, “Elizabeth: The Golden Age,” “The Duchess,” “The Young Victoria." have all done well. And that’s just in the last six years. This year, you can bet on “Anna Karenina.”

3. Pay attention to other races, like the Golden Globes
These aren’t always direct indicators, but the Globes, Screen Actors Guild awards and others are some of the best Oscar predictors out there. It’s thanks to these races that “Argo” is making an Oscars surge late in the game. Check out this graph that shows how recent awards have put “Argo” in the driver’s seat.

4. Sympathy is key
At the 2012 Oscars, two-time winner Meryl Streep had been nominated 12 times without taking home another trophy. So was a nomination for “The Iron Lady” even worth showing up for? Turns out the thirteenth time proved to be the charm, and she took home the statue for the first time since “Sophie’s Choice.” The Academy likes to spread the love –- so it can be advantageous to have not won before or at least in a very long time, especially if you’re in a category with recent winners. Look to apply this knowledge to the actress category again and pick Jennifer Lawrence of “Silver Linings Playbook." Her mature, controlled performance in “Winter’s Bone” was overlooked in 2011 in favor of the flashier Natalie Portman in “Black Swan.” Lawrence is also a full-on star now thanks to her lead role in “The Hunger Games.” The Academy will honor the leaps and bounds she’s made in her career.

 5. Best picture and director are a match made in heaven -- except maybe this year
In the last 10 years, only two movies have upset this match-up: “The Pianist” in 2002 and “Brokeback Mountain” in 2005. This year, though, is particularly tricky. Ben Affleck didn’t even get a nomination for best director and yet his film, “Argo,” is heating up on the awards circuits. Steven Spielberg's favored to win the director award, which would normally mean "Lincoln" as best picture. But all that "Argo" heat is hard to ignore. Split the vote this year.

Be sure to check out the predictions from some of the best on the web, including Gold Derby, The Chicago Tribune, IndieWire, and even the votes of three anonymous Academy members over at The LA Times. You can check out my predictions here too.

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All the other awards shows have been leading up to this one. The Academy Awards are coming, and they're the one bright spot in a dull entertainment week. You can prepare for the show by watching the film that might just win best picture, "Argo," which hits home video this week. And if you prefer your history a little older and more fantastical, the second season of "Game of Thrones" is also coming to home video.

Warner Bros., DreamWorks, Univer

"Argo," "Lincoln," "Zero Dark Thirty" and "Les Miserables" are all Oscar contenders.

TUESDAY: 'Argo' on home video
Even before it started snatching up all the film awards, "Argo" was garnering great word-of-mouth and excellent critical reviews. No American who was alive in 1979 could not know about the Iranian hostage crisis, but somehow, "Argo" picked up on a dramatic sidebar -- the rescue of six embassy employees who had snuck out of their workplace and hid in the Canadian ambassador's home. The tale is slightly fictionalized, but it's a fascinating tale, with John Goodman and Alan Arkin delivering memorable performances as the moviemakers who help out CIA agent Ben Affleck. And yes, Affleck got robbed when he wasn't nominated for a best director Oscar. (Out on home video Feb. 19.)

TUESDAY: 'Game of Thrones' season two on home video
Need to catch up on the hit HBO fantasy series before it returns on March 31? Scoop up the DVD set this week and fall back into the world of Westeros. The Lannisters and Daenerys are back, of course, with plenty of new characters introduced in the second season, including Stannis Baratheon, Melisandre, Craster, Gilly and the fan favorite, Brienne of Tarth. (Out on home video Feb. 19.)

SUNDAY: Academy Awards
Here we are, movie fans. The night of the year. Forget all the awards shows that have come before, this is the Big Kahuna. We all know Ben Affleck was snubbed in the director category, but will his film, "Argo," steal best picture from "Lincoln"? Can young upstart and "Silver Linings Playbook" star Jennifer Lawrence take home the best actress honor so many thought belonged to Jessica Chastain for "Zero Dark Thirty"? Can anyone stop Anne Hathaway and Daniel Day-Lewis? And how will Seth MacFarlane of "Family Guy" fame do as host? Pop the popcorn and the champagne, make your Oscar pool picks and settle in. (Feb. 24, 7 p.m. ET, ABC.)

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