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Do you need some last minute help with your Oscar pool?  The 84th Academy Awards won’t start announcing the winners of its major awards until tonight — however, Webtrends Design Lab analyzed 476,000 tweets to gather detailed Oscar winner predications.

Every year particular films generate hype; however, that hype has often be difficult to quantify. The infographic below is a precise way to quantify Oscar buzz among Twitter users.

SEE ALSO: Oscars 2012: How to Watch OnlineLikewise, Mashable launched mRank this week. mRank is our way of  measuring Oscar buzz across Facebook, Twitter and the blogosphere.

Will Twitter hype give us accurate Oscar predictions? Do you think Twitter buzz will translate into victory for The Artist, Meryl Streep, George Clooney and Martin Scorsese?

 

 

Infographic courtesy Webtrends Design Lab

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Muppets fans are not happy. Following news that musical performances at this year’s Oscars were canceled, Hollywood blogger Perez Hilton launched a petition to give The Muppets the opportunity to perform on stage as part of the awards show’s tradition.

The petition — which already has 24,000 signatures in a little more than a day — is asking the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences to reinstate the musical performances this year to let the Muppets sing its nominated song, “Muppet or a Man,” from the film The Muppets. Only two songs were selected for the Best Original Song category this year, which also includes “Real in Rio” from the animated movie Rio.

“When Eddie Murphy dropped out of the Oscars, I encouraged the Academy to have the Muppets host the awards — it would have been such a fresh and fun choice,” Hilton told Mashable, noting that Billy Crystal will be hosting instead. “But when I heard they weren’t even going to let them perform, I was outraged. Why change tradition? If you are going to have Best Original Song as a category, you should celebrate it.”

In the Oscars’s 76 years of award shows, this is the first time the category only has two nominees, which is why many suspect the performances were eliminated. Voters had to rate the songs from 1 through 10 and only those with an average of 8.25 were nominated. Only two met that limit this year. Last year, four songs were nominated for Best Original Song.

Hilton hopes to get 100,000 signatures for the petition, which is posted on free petition site Care2, by Feb. 25 and ultimately, get the Muppets to perform on stage at the Oscars.

“We hope the petition will go viral and that the Academy will reconsider,” Hilton said. “There’s no real explanation for why they canceled the performances and we’re upset. If we get 100,000 signatures, that’s 100,000 people that will likely be tuning in to watch the Muppets perform.”

SEE ALSO: How Social Media Revived The Muppets | Muppets Star in Google Ad

Celebrities are also getting on board to support the cause: “SAVE THE MUPPETS!!! They should be performing at the Oscars!!! Help our fuzzy little icons get their due!!!” tweeted Adam Levine, Maroon 5′s singer and judge on The Voice.

The Muppets star Jason Segel — who is also featured in the “Man or Muppet” song — and producer Judd Apatow also tweeted news about the petition.

Do you want the Muppets to perform at the Oscars? If so, sign the petition here — and forward it to fellow fans.

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Twitter Reacts to Oscar Nominations

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The 84th annual Academy Award nominations were unveiled in Beverly Hills, Calif., on Tuesday morning, and alongside some of the movie industry’s usual Oscar nomination big hitters — including Brad Pitt and Meryl Streep — were a few surprise honorees that sent Twitter into a flurry of cheers.

Twitter celebrated Melissa McCarthy’s nomination score for best supporting actress in slap-stick comedy Bridesmaids. Bridesmaids co-star Kristen Wiig (Saturday Night Live) also picked up a nomination for the film, which she co-wrote with Annie Mumolo.

Meanwhile, Jonah Hill — also known for his resume of comedic performances, including Superbad and Get Him to the Greek — earned best supporting actor for his role in Moneyball. The film also earned nominations for best picture and best actor (Brad Pitt).

The Academy typically honors dramatic films and its actors, but Bridesmaids has been heralded for its superb comedic writing and performances since it hit theaters in May 2011, so some expected a nomination could be possible — at least for best writing. Many tweeted that they were excited to see both Wiig and McCarthy be a part of the awards show, which will air Sunday, Feb. 12.

“Kristen Wiig nominated for Screenplay. Melissa McCarthy nommed for Supp. Actress. KEEP A CAMERA ON THEM ALL NIGHT, PLEASE!” tweeted @AaronFullerton, a script coordinator on the show Burn Notice.

McCarthy is a newcomer to the spotlight after her Bridesmaids role, but is hardly new to Hollywood. She was previously a cast member on Gilmore Girls for seven years and picked up an Emmy in 2011 for outstanding lead actress in a comedy for Mike & Molly. Kristen Wiig is also known for her comedic work on Saturday Night Live and a variety of films (Knocked Up, MacGruber).

Moneyball landing three nominations is no surprise — the film generated Oscar buzz since its September debut — but many were uncertain if the Academy would recognize Hills’s performance in the film. Although many on Twitter cheered on his nomination, others are still trying to grasp the fact that he’s now a serious actor:

“Oscar nominee Jonah Hill. Yeah, no, that’s not ever gonna sound right,” tweeted @MrEmilyHeller.

Although Oscar viewership had been down in recent years, its numbers are picking back up. In fact, the Oscar audience first started to turn around in 2010, when it jumped 14% — its biggest viewership in five years. That year, Sandra Bullock — known previously for her work in comedic films — earned the Oscar for best actress for her role in The Blind Side.

Other trending topics on Twitter following the 2012 Academy Award nominations include “Man or Muppet” — which was nominated for best song from The Muppets — as well as Albert Brooks. Many believe the actor was snubbed for his performance in Drive.

In case you missed it, here’s a list of the nominations below:

Best Picture:
The Artist
The Descendants
Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close
The Help
Hugo
Midnight in Paris
Moneyball
The Tree of Life
War Horse

Actor:
Demian Bichir, A Better Life
George Clooney, The Descendants
Jean Dujardin, The Artist
Gary Oldman, Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy
Brad Pitt, Moneyball

Actress:
Glenn Close, Albert Nobbs
Viola Davis, The Help
Rooney Mara, The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo
Meryl Streep, The Iron Lady
Michelle Williams, My Week With Marilyn

Supporting Actor:
Kenneth Branagh, My Week With Marilyn
Jonah Hill, Moneyball
Nick Nolte, Warrior
Christopher Plummer, Beginners
Max von Sydow, Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close

Supporting Actress:
Berenice Bejo, The Artist
Jessica Chastain, The Help
Melissa McCarthy, Bridesmaids
Janet McTeer, Albert Nobbs
Octavia Spencer, The Help

Directing:
Michel Hazanavicius, The Artist
Alexander Payne, The Descendants
Martin Scorsese, Hugo
Woody Allen, Midnight in Paris
Terrence Malick, The Tree of Life

Original Screenplay:
Michel Hazanavicius, The Artist
Annie Mumolo and Kristen Wiig, Bridesmaids
J.C. Chandor, Margin Call
Woody Allen, Midnight in Paris
Asghar Farhadi, A Separation

For the full list, click here.
Do you think Melissa McCarthy, Kristen Wiig or Jonah Hill could win an Oscar? What are your picks for each category? Let us know your thoughts in the comments.

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BONUS: Social Moments From 2012 Oscar-Nominated Films

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1. The Muppet Movie

"Man vs. Muppet," composed by Bret McKenzie, was nominated for "Best Original Song."

The entire marketing campaign for The Muppet Studios has underwent a significant social media revival, complete with Facebook apps, heavy interaction on Twitter, and being one of the first brands to jump on Google+.

Image courtesy of Walt Disney Pictures

Click here to view this gallery.

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