It's the ugliest trophy we know of, but celebrities still compete for it: The "Dancing With the Stars" mirror ball is up for grabs with a whole new cast starting their ballroom bash this week. Also this week: "Zero Dark Thirty" comes to home video, and Tina Fey's new movie, "Admission," arrives in theaters.

Slideshow: 'Dancing With the Stars' season 16 cast

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MONDAY: 'Dancing With the Stars'
"Dancing With the Stars" always rises and falls on the strength of its celebrity dancers. Not necessarily the ones that are the most talented, but the ones who bring the drama. Comedian Andy Dick has reportedly already done that, reporting that he had a breakdown, cried, and lashed out at his professional partner. He's sure to be one to watch. Also in "Dancing" news: Newly engaged "Bachelor" Sean Lowe has been added to the cast. Gymnast Aly Raisman, actor D.L. Hughley, Olympic skater Dorothy Hamill and Grammy-winning country singer Wynonna Judd will also be competing for the weirdly sparkly mirror ball trophy. (March 18, 8 p.m., ABC.)

TUESDAY: 'Zero Dark Thirty' on home video
The dramatic and intense Oscar nominee "Zero Dark Thirty" comes to home video this week. While the film only won one Oscar (best sound editing) out of the five for which it was nominated, it has received raves from critics. And when Esquire spoke with the Navy SEAL who reportedly fired the final shots that killed terrorist Osama bin Laden, he confirmed that much of the film's detail is accurate, though he took issue with the noise the SEALs made during the raid. The film can be difficult to watch -- especially the much-discussed torture scenes -- but the final hour is spellbinding, and even though you know how it ends, you'll be on the edge of your seat. (Out on home video March 19.)

FRIDAY: 'Admission'
Tina Fey made headlines recently when William Shatner joked at the Oscars that he wished Fey and Amy Poehler were hosting that awards show instead of Seth MacFarlane. But was he really joking? Fey's as popular as ever -- unless you're Taylor Swift and still mad about that Golden Globes crack. In "Admission," Fey plays an admissions officer at Princeton who discovers a gifted student might just be the son she gave up for adoption years ago. Paul Rudd plays the cute single dad who may find himself in a romance with Fey. (Opens March 22.)

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• Judd, Hamill, more to go 'Dancing With the Stars'
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There's a little bit of everything this week in entertainment. Steve Carell has a new movie, "The Bachelor" wraps up another season, and the biggest winner at the Oscars comes to home video.

Warner Bros.

Steve Buscemi, Olivia Wilde and Steve Carell star in "The Incredible Burt Wonderstone."

MONDAY: 'Bachelor' finale
Ready for two hours of lead-up to a five-second possible proposal? In the season finale, "Bachelor" star Sean Lowe will choose between Catherine, the graphic designer from Seattle, and Lindsay, the teacher and general's daughter from North Carolina. Many viewers feel the real drama went out of the show when this season's mean girl, Tierra, left the show. And some still feel Sean made a mistake by not choosing AshLee, who complained on the recent reunion that she felt blindsided and lied to. There are already rumors out there as to who Sean picks and what happens next, but we won't spoil things here. Tune in if you need to know. (March 11, 8 p.m., ABC.)

TUESDAY: 'Life of Pi'
Best-picture winner "Argo" garnered all the headlines, but it was "Life of Pi" that won the most Academy Awards at last month's Oscars. The film, based on Yann Martel's best-selling book, won four awards -- Ang Lee won for best director, and the film won cinematography, original score and visual effects honors. If you missed the Oscar-winner in theaters, it's now coming to home video. Roger Ebert raved over the film, calling it "a miraculous achievement of storytelling and a landmark of visual mastery." (On DVD and blu-Ray March 12.)

FRIDAY: 'Incredible Burt Wonderstone'
Two Steves, Carell and Buscemi, team up for "The Incredible Burt Wonderstone," which comes to theaters this week. They play a famed Vegas magician team who now hate each other, and yet must step up their showmanship to beat an up-and-coming challenger played by Jim Carrey. The one-upmanship gets pretty intense -- Carrey tries to spend a night sleeping on hot coals or attempts to pound a nail in with his forehead, Carell and Buscemi attempt to spend a week dangling inside a glass box. Olivia Wilde and Alan Arkin co-star. (Opens March 15.)

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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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Jessica Chastain in a low-budget horror flick overpowered Mark Wahlberg and Arnold Schwarzenegger to emerge as the weekend box office champ, while her Oscar-nominated "Zero Dark Thirty" captured the second spot as well.

Chastain's supernatural thriller, "Mama," pulled in $28.1 million from Friday through Sunday at U.S. and Canadian theaters, according to studio estimates, beating out a crop of new testosterone-fueled, male-targeted releases that finished far back in the pack. 

"Zero Dark Thirty," for which Chastain is a leading best actress Oscar contender, took in $17.6 million, while another 2012 release and Oscar favorite, "Silver Linings Playbook," finished third with $11.35 million. 

"Broken City," a crime thriller starring Wahlberg and Russell Crowe, finished fifth with $9 million behind "Gangster Squad's" $9.1 million, while Schwarzenegger's new action film, "The Last Stand," earned $6.3 million for a dismal 10th place. 

"Mama" stars Chastain as a guitarist who doesn't want children but is forced to take care of two orphaned nieces who have been living in the woods. Based on a 2008 short film, the movie was produced for roughly $15 million. 

"Mama" was released by Comcast Corp's Universal Studios. "Broken City" was distributed by 20th Century Fox, a unit of News Corp. 

Sony Corp's movie studio released "Zero Dark Thirty." "Gangster Squad" was distributed by Warner Bros., a unit of Time Warner Inc. Lions Gate Entertainment distributed "The Last Stand." The Weinstein Co released "Silver Linings Playbook." 

Which movie did you see this weekend? Tell us on our Facebook page!

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LOS ANGELES -- "Zero Dark Thirty," Hollywood's re-telling of the decade-long manhunt for Osama bin Laden, captured the No. 1 spot on movie box office charts over the weekend with $24 million in U.S. and Canadian ticket sales.

Jonathan Olley / Columbia Pictures via AP

Jessica Chastain in a scene from "Zero Dark Thirty."

The movie starring Jessica Chastain as a dogged CIA agent edged out horror movie spoof "A Haunted House," which earned $18.8 million, as well as "Gangster Squad," a period crime drama that finished in third place with $16.7 million, according to studio estimates.

Caught in political controversy, "Zero Dark Thirty" received a boost this week from five Oscar nominations, including best picture, though its director Kathryn Bigelow was snubbed in the best director category.

The movie is a dramatized account of the hunt for al Qaeda leader bin Laden and the May 2011 U.S. Navy SEAL raid in which he was killed. It has sparked a debate about its depictions of "enhanced interrogation techniques," with some critics arguing that the film promotes the use of torture.

Bigelow and screenwriter Mark Boal have said their movie depicts several investigation methods and does not suggest one particular technique led to bin Laden. Sony Pictures Chairwoman Amy Pascal on Friday said the movie "does not advocate torture."

Rory Bruer, president of worldwide distribution for Sony Corp's Sony Pictures studio, said one of the things the motive had certainly done was to promote "a lot of dialogue and conversation."

He attributed the film's strong performance to "the awards, conversation about controversy, and the film itself."

A Senate Committee is investigating whether the CIA spy agency provided the filmmakers with any inappropriate access to secret material. Government e-mails and memoranda released to the conservative group Judicial Watch show that both the CIA and the Pentagon provided extensive access.

"Zero Dark Thirty" expanded nationwide this weekend to nearly 3,000 theaters following limited showings since late December. It cost $40 million to make, according to website Hollywood.com.

The low-budget "A Haunted House" comes from Marlon Wayans, writer of the "Scary Movie" horror spoof series. The film debuted to $18.8 million, beating out period noir "Gangster Squad." The $2.5 million production tells the story of a man dealing with his wife after she becomes possessed by the devil inhabiting their dream home.

Jason Cassidy, head of marketing at Open Road Films, the distributor of "A Haunted House," said he was "pleasantly surprised" by the film's numbers, and credited African-American and Latino audiences with boosting the film's numbers.

Cassidy added that the film's release on a weekend in which it had no competition from other major comedies, as well as heavy promotion by star Marlon Wayans, helped it succeed at the box office despite largely negative reviews.

"Gangster Squad" opened Friday in third place at $16.7 million after it was reworked following last July's fatal shooting in Aurora, Colorado at a midnight premiere of Batman movie "The Dark Knight Rises."

The film stars Sean Penn, Josh Brolin and Ryan Gosling and originally included a scene eerily similar to the Aurora tragedy in which gunmen open fire from behind a movie screen. A new scene was filmed and the movie's September premiere date was pushed to January.

Set in 1949 Los Angeles, the movie stars Sean Penn as real-life gangster Mickey Cohen, who is ultimately brought down by a band of cops led by Brolin and Gosling. The film is based on a non-fiction book by Paul Lieberman.

Two Christmas Day releases rounded out the top of the weekend chart. Quentin Tarantino Western "Django Unchained" landed in fourth place with $11.1 million at North American (U.S. and Canadian) theaters. In fifth place, musical "Les Miserables" took in $10.1 million.

The weekend marked a strong start for Hollywood in 2013 after 2012's record box-office numbers. $10.8 billion in movie ticket sales were recorded in 2012, according to boxoffice.com, making 2012 the most lucrative year ever for Hollywood. The numbers exceeded those from 2011 by nearly six percent. Profits from the first two weeks of January 2013 are also up about 22 percent over the same time period of 2012.

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As the Golden Globes event approaches zero hour -- that's Sunday night, for those keeping track -- TODAY's Matt Lauer and Savannah Guthrie wanted to get the inside scoop on what to expect on both the red carpet and the big stage on one of the industry's most-anticipated nights of the year. 

First off, Guthrie, reporting from Los Angeles, sat down with senior fashion editor at Marie Claire magazine Zanna Roberts Rassi to go over the eye-catching looks actresses and (sometimes) actors will trot out on the carpet. Rassi was enthusiastic about relative newcomer Jessica Chastain (a nominee for "Zero Dark Thirty"), calling her a "fashion plate." The pair also discussed Jennifer Lawrence's (nominated for "Silver Linings Playbook") tendency to change hair color, and noted that Lena Dunham (nominated as an actress in her show "Girls") is great for keeping it real and not worrying about her body type.

Anticipated trends for the carpet, said Rassi, include black and white combos, "extreme" ruffles and "strategically-placed" skin, despite the low temperatures expected for Sunday evening.

Vote for your Golden Globes favorites!

Later, back in New York, Lauer chatted with Access Hollywood correspondent Michelle Beadle, asking her to prognosticate on who will "walk away with the hardware" from the evening.

Beadle liked "Lincoln" as a best picture and "Les Miserables" for the best musical or comedy award (the Globes separates the genres, while the Oscars does not); she also leaned toward Anne Hathaway to pick up an award for her short role in "Les Mis." 

"When she sang 'I Dreamed a Dream,' I think that nailed it for her," said Beadle.

The best director list includes three names who were considered snubbed by the Oscars: Ben Affleck, Kathryn Bigelow and Quentin Tarantino, and she anticipated that Affleck would take the Globe Sunday. "Expect a funny speech out of him because I do think he feels dissed by the Academy for Oscar time," she said.

Affleck, 'Argo' win at Critics' Choice Awards

Over in best actress for a musical or comedy, Beadle had a big raised fist for Jennifer Lawrence ("Silver Linings Playbook"). "She's young, she's smart, she's the new Hollywood without all the drama and stuff off the screen," she said.

Finally, the pair explored best television drama, and the vote was for "Breaking Bad" to take it home. "This is a tough category; all five of these are obviously strong shows," Beadle said.

Later, Beadle returned for a special Globes-themed "Take 3" segment, sitting down with TODAY's Willie Geist and Tamron Hall and E!'s Jason Kennedy (Guthrie weighed in from L.A.). They compared their own predictions in key categories -- Kennedy and Geist agreed that "Argo" deserved best picture; Hall and Beadle went for "Lincoln," which left Guthrie going it alone on "Zero Dark Thirty." Viewers choice? "Lincoln."

The biggest surprise? Hall, by her own admission, hadn't seen any of the movies being discussed. "My opinions are solely based on the -- I do read a lot -- all of the reviews," she insisted.

Geist promised to hook her up with screeners so she could watch the films at home.

They also noted that the pairing of Tina Fey and Amy Poehler to host the show would be awesome. "We can boldly all predict and agree that they are going to be fabulous," said Guthrie. "There's no chance they're not going to absolutely kill it out there."

Be sure to check out the video to find out what else they had to say -- and tune in Sunday night starting at 7 p.m. ET for "TODAY at the Golden Globes" on NBC to see if their predictions come true!

Slideshow: 2013 Golden Globe nominations

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The Academy Awards are a lively, high-spirited event, but many of the films nominated Thursday morning feature grim topics. From the waterboarding of "Zero Dark Thirty" to the desperation and revolution of "Les Miserables," movies this time around were rewarded for tackling dark subject matter with skill. Steven Spielberg's "Lincoln" led all comers with 12 nominations, with Ang Lee's "Life of Pi" next with 11.

Slideshow: Oscar nominees

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Up to 10 films can be nominated in the best picture category, and this year, nine were chosen. "Beasts of the Southern Wild," "Silver Linings Playbook" and "Amour" were three of the lesser-known titles making the cut. "Zero Dark Thirty," "Lincoln," "Les Miserables," "Life of Pi," "Django Unchained" and "Argo" were among the other films in the best picture category.

The best actress category offers a chance for history, as it features both the oldest (Emmanuelle Riva, 85, for "Amour") and youngest (Quvenzhane Wallis, now 9, for "Beasts of the Southern Wild") nominees ever in that category. (Tatum O'Neal, 10, won the best supporting actress award for "Paper Moon" in 1974 -- and Justin Henry was only 8 when he was nominated for best supporting actor in "Kramer vs. Kramer," but he didn't win.) But Jessica Chastain is likely to be favored in that category for her role as a CIA agent in "Zero Dark Thirty." Also nominated there are Naomi Watts for "The Impossible" and Jennifer Lawrence for "Silver Linings Playbook."

Many of the names Oscar watchers expected to hear were indeed called. Anne Hathaway was figured early on to be a favorite in the best supporting actress category for her role as Fantine, who sells her body, hair and teeth to save her daughter in the adaptation of the beloved stage musical. She's nominated, as is Sally Field, who plays Mary Todd Lincoln in "Lincoln," another expected name. Others in the category are Jacki Weaver for "Silver Linings Playbook," Helen Hunt for "The Sessions," and Amy Adams for "The Master."

MacFarlane, Stone made Oscar nods a must-see

Daniel Day-Lewis, who plays the title role in "Lincoln," will easily be named the favorite in the best actor category. Also nominated there were Hugh Jackman for "Les Miserables," Denzel Washington for "Flight," Bradley Cooper for "Silver Linings Playbook" and Joaquin Phoenix for "The Master." Phoenix was snubbed in the same category by the Screen Actors Guild award nominations.

Cooper called in to TODAY to talk with Al Roker, Willie Geist and Natalie Morales after hearing his name called. 

"The funny thing is how I sort of talked myself into how I wasn't going to get up (for the announcements)," he told the anchors. "But cut to: It's like 4:30 in the morning, and I'm just puttering around the house, and then I got my mom up and my dog, and then we were watching."

Christoph Waltz was nominated for best supporting actor for his role as a dentist turned bounty hunter in Quentin Tarantino's "Django Unchained." Waltz won the best supporting actor Oscar in 2010 for his role in another Tarantino film, "Inglourious Basterds." Also nominated in his category: Philip Seymour Hoffman for "The Master," Robert DeNiro for "Silver Linings Playbook," Tommy Lee Jones for "Lincoln" and Alan Arkin for "Argo."

Tarantino himself was not named in the best director category, nor was Ben Affleck, whom many expected to see there for his work on "Argo," or Kathryn Bigelow, for "Zero Dark Thirty." Steven Spielberg was nominated for "Lincoln," Ang Lee for "Life of Pi," David O. Russell for "Silver Linings Playbook," Michael Haneke for "Amour" and Benh Zeitlin for "Beasts of the Southern Wild."

While the snubs of Affleck, Bigelow and Tarantino bothered some, Bradley Cooper told the TODAY anchors he was thrilled that Russell was nominated for "Silver Linings Playbook."

"I kind of lost it watching," Cooper said of hearing Russell's name called. "His heart is in that movie."

In past years, the best original song category has been shrunk to as few as two nominees, but this year it was filled out with five. "Skyfall," singer Adele's song for the latest James Bond movie, is the best-known of the group. She'll compete against "Before My Time" from "Chasing Ice" (a documentary about climate change), "Pi's Lullaby" from "Life of Pi," "Suddenly" from "Les Miserables" and "Everybody Needs a Best Friend," from "Ted."

Oscar host Seth MacFarlane and actress Emma Stone read the nominations, and MacFarlane, who stars in and directed "Ted," was notably pleased that a song from his film was included. "That's kinda cool," MacFarlane said. "I get to go to the Oscars now."

Animated fim nominees are "Wreck-It Ralph," "Frankenweenie," "The Pirates! Band of Misfits," "Brave" and "Paranorman."

Original screenplay nominees were "Flight," "Zero Dark Thirty," "Django Unchained," "Amour" and "Moonrise Kingdom." Adapted screenplay nominees were "Beasts of the Southern Wild," "Lincoln," "Argo," "Life of Pi" and "Silver Linings Playbook."

Foreign film nominees included the French-language "Amour," which also shows up in the best picture category, as well as Chile's "No," Canada's "War Witch," Norway's "Kon-Tiki" and Denmark's "A Royal Affair." 

The Academy Awards ceremony will be held Feb. 24 at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood.

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Chris Pizzello / AP file

"Lincoln" director Steven Spielberg.

Steven Spielberg ("Lincoln"), Tom Hooper ("Les Miserables"), Kathryn Bigelow ("Zero Dark Thirty"), Ang Lee ("Life of Pi") and Ben Affleck ("Argo"): There were no surprises in Tuesday's nominations for the 65th Annual Directors Guild of America Awards.

Unless, that is, you're a fan of "Django Unchained," "The Master" or "Silver Linings Playbook," in which case there were unhappy surprises.

Quentin Tarantino, Paul Thomas Anderson and David O. Russell were among those who failed to rate in the most critical of Oscar tuneups.

'Silver Linings Playbook' has better luck with Writers Guild

The DGA class of 2013 runs the gamut of past winners to Affleck, who has his first-ever nod from the filmmaking group.

All five nominees and their films have long been counted as safe bets for the Academy Awards. Nominations for the big show of big shows are due out Thursday.

The DGA Awards is unsurpassed as an Oscar predictor: It's been more than a decade since a DGA winner didn't rate the same prize from the Academy.

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The exclusions of Tarantino, Anderson and Russell are notable, but not necessarily surprising, with only Russell's "Silver Linings Playbook" considered a top-tier Best Picture candidate.

If the DGA field holds at the Oscars, then the road gets even longer for those on the outside looking in. The last film to win Best Picture without a nominated director was 1989's "Driving Miss Daisy."

The 65th DGA Awards are scheduled to be presented Feb. 2.

20 must-see movies you must see before Oscar Night 2013

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• 'Django' action figures stir up controversy
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Sony / Columbia Pictures via AP

A scene from "Zero Dark Thirty," a film directed by Kathryn Bigelow and produced by Mark Boal.

Since its release, "Zero Dark Thirty" has sparked debate about the movie's frank depiction of torture and whether such acts committed by the U.S. in the War on Terror mislead audiences into thinking torture played a role in the capture and killing of Osama bin Laden.

Now director Kathryn Bigelow and screenwriter and producer Mark Boal are standing up for their rights as artists to explore such morally challenging territory.

Appearing at the New York Film Critics Circle ceremony to accept awards for Best Director and Best Picture Monday night, the duo defended the film for including the torture scenes and also addressed a Senate investigation looking into whether members of the CIA unlawfully gave classified information to the filmmakers to help them tell their story.

Zero Dark Thirty torture controversy: Senators slam grossly inaccurate depiction

"I thankfully want to say that I'm standing in a room of people who understand that depiction is not endorsement, and if it was, no artist could ever portray inhuman practices; no author could ever write about them; and no filmmaker could ever delve into the naughty subjects of our time," Bigelow told the audience of critics and media.

Boal, Bigelow's collaborator who first worked with her on "The Hurt Locker," told E! News earlier in the evening that he and the director really didn't expect "Zero Dark Thirty" to garner this level of controversy.

"No, I don't think we quite expected that," said Boal. "It was a little bit of a surprise, but I hope that people go to see the movie and judge for themselves."

Oscar-buzz cheat sheet: Will controversy hurt Zero Dark Thirty's chances?

"Zero Dark Thirty" opens with graphic scenes of enhanced interrogation techniques that were implemented by the Bush administration after 9-11, techniques like waterboarding and sexual humiliation that are illegal under international law. But many political commentators have pointed out that by including the dark side of the government's hunt for Al Qaeda, it may give viewers the wrong impression: that the brutal interrogation methods worked and are the reason we found Bin Laden.

When in fact nothing could be further from the truth--as Senator Diane Feinstein, the chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee, and Senator John McCain, who was tortured during his service in Vietnam--publicly stated last month, fearing such scenes could perpetuate a myth.

The two joined Senator Carl Levin in sending the head of "Zero Dark Thirty"'s distributor, Sony Pictures Entertainment chairman Michael Lynton, a letter, saying "have a moral obligation to get the facts right" and noted that the Al Qaeda leader was found through the "hard work and dedication" of intelligence professionals, not in any way through "coercive interrogation techniques."

Early review roundup: what are the critics saying?

What the flick does extraordinarily well is tell the gripping account of a CIA operative (Jessica Chastain) doggedly pursuing Bin Laden's courier, who unknowingly leads the U.S. to the terrorist's hideout in Abbottabad, Pakistan, culminating in the raid that ended in Bin Laden's death.

Upon taking the podium later to receive best picture honors, Boal seemingly alluded to the Senate inquiry by bringing up the recent news of a CIA officer who's now facing prison time for talking to journalists about waterboarding. He also stood by his work on "Zero Dark Thirty."

"I stand here tonight being extremely proud of the film we made," he said. "I think at the end of the day, we made a film that allows us to look back at the past in a way that gives us a more clear-sighted appraisal of the future."

--Reporting by James Chairman

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REVIEW: The best hour of filmmaking you'll see all year is the final hour of Kathryn Bigelow's "Zero Dark Thirty," which has to be considered a favorite to take home this year's best picture Oscar.

It's easy to find reasons not to go to the film, which is hardly a light night out at the movies or an ideal date flick. It's long -- pushing two hours, forty minutes. The film's controversial torture scenes have been widely discussed, and they are indeed difficult to watch -- detainees are waterboarded, strapped into dog collars, shoved into tiny boxes. And even before those scenes, the film reminds us what started it all by playing gut-wrenching phone calls from people trapped in the World Trade Center after it was attacked on Sept. 11, 2001. "I'm going to die, aren't I?" one woman asks a helpless 911 operator.

Heavy stuff. Heavy, heartbreaking stuff. And not a movie for everyone. But "Zero Dark Thirty" is a majestic piece of filmmaking and like Bigelow's earlier Oscar-winner "The Hurt Locker," delves into a world that few Americans can even imagine. For most of us, the hunt for Osama bin Laden seemed for years like a fruitless quest, painful and frustrating when we thought about it, but not something that was constantly top of mind. But to the CIA agent played by Jessica Chastain (named Maya in the film), bin Laden was all she thought about, all the time.

Wrote critic Roger Ebert of the film, " There isn't a whole lot of plot -- basically, just that Maya thinks she is right, and she is." She is indeed, and the film manages to build on her slow gathering of evidence into a Jenga-like pile of information, with missteps along the way. Even though you know bin Laden was at the Abbottabad, Pakistan, compound, even though you know he was killed there by Navy SEALs in 2011, it's to the film's credit that events feel like they hang in doubt even once that dramatic final hour begins.

Chastain makes Maya feel like a real person, faults and all. She's not your typical suave James Bond-like spy. You're not sure you'd like her if you knew her, an opinion that's backed up by a great Washington Post piece about the real agent. (“Do you know how many CIA officers are jerks?” the paper quotes a source as saying. “If that was a disqualifier, the whole National Clandestine Service would be gone.”) She has a theory to which she is devoted, but always she carries with her the knowledge that she has seen friends die for similar devotion. 

Maya's challenges, though, only make the build towards the inevitable raid on the Abbottabad compound all the more dramatic. There's a trip to Area 51 (really!) to examine the special helicopters that'll be used, which allows Maya to meet the SEALs who'll be risking their lives because of her beliefs. ("I wanted to drop a bomb," she tells them sourly.)

Once the SEALs, and the Belgian Malinois dog they take along, climb into those two helicopters, it's impossible to take your eyes off the screen, or even breathe. Maya can only watch from the base, knowing their lives are in danger whether she's right or wrong, and that failure will be devastating. The attack itself may not be what you expected. The compound is cramped and dangerous, with threats around every corner and terrified women and children caught up in the raid. One of the helicopters crashes and must be destroyed, bin Laden's computer hard drives and journals must be shoved into bags, and the Pakistanis have scrambled their F-16s to investigate what the heck is going on. In the middle of the mayhem, a SEAL appears dazed, and when asked what's wrong, simply says, "I just shot the guy on the third floor." And all that's come before, the 9/11 phone calls, the torture, the deaths in the pursuit of other theories, all come down to the guy on the third floor.

In addition to Chastain, Bigelow gets marvelous performances from Jason Clark, whose fabulous performance in Showtime's "Brotherhood" is often overlooked; James Gandolfini, as likable and terrifying as Tony Soprano was; and Kyle Chandler, always so good whenever he's onscreen. At one point, Chandler's character tells Maya, "I don't (expletive) care about bin Laden! Protect the homeland!" Which is, of course, precisely what she thought she was doing.

"Zero Dark Thirty" opened in New York and Los Angeles in December to qualify for the Academy Awards, adds more cities on Jan. 4, and opens in still more locations on Jan. 11.

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• Acting CIA director shoots down 'Zero Dark Thirty' accuracy
• 'Zero Dark Thirty' among Golden Globe nominees
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Universal, Sony, Dreamworks

"Les Miserables," "Zero Dark Thirty," and "Lincoln."

Steven Spielberg's presidential drama "Lincoln," musical "Les Miserables" and Kathyrn Bigelow's Osama bin Laden thriller "Zero Dark Thirty" were among 10 films earning Producers Guild Award nominations on Wednesday, as the Hollywood awards season gathered momentum.

Ben Affleck and George Clooney, two of the producers behind Affleck's Iran hostage drama "Argo," and the team that brought Quentin Tarantino's darkly humorous slavery Western "Django Unchained" to the screen also won nods for the awards handed out by the Producers Guild of America.

The critically acclaimed James Bond blockbuster "Skyfall," which last weekend surpassed $1 billion at the worldwide box office, got a big boost to its Oscar hopes when producers Barbara Broccoli and Michael Wilson were included.

They joined an eclectic list that featured Ang Lee's shipwreck tale "Life of Pi," and quirky comedy "Silver Linings Playbook."

Wes Anderson's "Moonrise Kingdom," and mythical indie film "Beasts of the Southern Wild" rounded out the feature film nominations, the PGA said in a statement.

The Producers Guild Awards will be handed out at a ceremony in Los Angeles on Jan. 26 and will be a key indication of Hollywood sentiment ahead of the Oscars on Feb. 24.

Many of the PGA-nominated movies are expected to feature strongly on the list of Oscar nominations when those are announced on January 10. Eight of the movies are also in the running for best picture Golden Globe trophies on Jan. 13.

But the PGA had nothing for "The Hobbit" from director Peter Jackson. It also left early awards hopeful "The Master" out of the running in a sign that the cult tale starring Philip Seymour Hoffman may be losing steam in Hollywood.

Batman movie "The Dark Knight Rises" also failed to make the list.

The PGA nominated the producers of five films for its animated movie honors -- Tim Burton's "Frankenweenie," Disney family films "Wreck-it-Ralph" and "Brave," and "ParaNorman" and "Rise of the Guardians."

The PGA also named its picks for producers of television movies and miniseries. Ryan Murphy's "American Horror Story," the team behind HBO film "Game Change" about Sarah Palin's 2008 vice presidential bid, and Britain's modern twist on detective Sherlock Holmes "Sherlock" were among the five making the cut.

They were joined by "Hatfields & McCoys," about a legendary family feud starring Kevin Costner who was also one of the producers, and the PBS chronicle of the 1930s drought "The Dust Bowl."

Related content:

• 'Lincoln,' 'Argo' among Golden Globe nominees
• 'Lincoln,' 'Les Mis' among SAG nominees
• 'Lincoln' forces moviegoers to care about politics
• 'Zero Dark Thirty' agent passed over for promotion
• 'Les Miserables' dreams a dream, and dreams big

It's time, at last, to return to that towering English manor house known as "Downton Abbey." This season, America meets England, as Shirley MacLaine muscles her way into the mansion, playing Cora's mother. Also this week: The chilling and engrossing "Zero Dark Thirty" opens, and the fascinating "Looper" hits home video.

Slideshow: 'Downton Abbey' season 3

Launch slideshow

MONDAY: 'Looper' on home video
"Looper" put a chilling twist on time travel. In the future, it exists, but is only used by mobsters looking to dump enemies into the past and have them shot by "loopers." Joseph Gordon-Levitt is a looper who's pretty good at his job, until the inevitable day when the mob sends his own future self (in the form of Bruce Willis) back for the fatal shot. It's a twisty, tricky film that's fun to watch. (On DVD and Blu-ray Dec. 31.)

FRIDAY: 'Zero Dark Thirty'
If you're in New York or Los Angeles, "Zero Dark Thirty" may already be playing, but the rest of us get a chance to see this early favorite for best picture this week. It's not for everyone. As you may have heard, the film opens with raw phone conversations from 9/11, and moves on quickly to detainees being tortured at CIA black sites. If you get through that, Kathryn Bigelow's film rewards with perhaps the best final hour put on film this year, as Navy SEALs pour into the Abbottabad, Pakistan, compound looking for Osama bin Laden. Jessica Chastain shines as a CIA agent who's determined to find the terrorist mastermind, and Jason Clarke, who plays a fellow agent, has come a long way from "Brotherhood." (Opens Jan. 4 in many cities.)

SUNDAY: 'Downton Abbey'
Finally! The Brits have been watching season three ("series 3" to them) for months now, but we Yanks can finally get caught up. (Hope you've avoided the Internet spoilers!) It's certainly not a spoiler to say that Shirley MacLaine is sweeping in as the mother of Cora, Countess of Grantham, and is sure to have more than one run-in with the imposing Dowager Countess. And Lady Mary and Matthew are preparing for their wedding. Here's to the bride -- and the grandmother-in-law-to-be.

Related content:

• Review: 'Looper' gives audiences a thrill
• Acting CIA director shoots down 'Zero Dark Thirty' accuracy
• 'Downton Abbey' talks about new faces