‘Social Network’ and ‘King’s Speech’ lead list of likely Oscar nominees

It may have seemed as if “The Social Network” is the unstoppable front-runner as the Oscars nominations are being announced this week, but “The King’s Speech” boosted its chances at the academy’s top prize by winning the prestigious Producers Guild of America Award this weekend.

Both films are likely to be nominated in the best picture category when the 83rd Academy Awards are announced at 5:30 a.m. Tuesday. Also on en pointe to do well when the nominations for the 83rd annual Academy Awards are announced at 5:30 a.m. Tuesday is the psychological thriller “Black Swan,” as well as “Inception,” “The Fighter,” “Toy Story 3” and “True Grit.”

Of course, winning the PGA Award doesn’t mean that “The King’s Speech” is guaranteed the best film Oscar, but the movie is now a serious threat to “The Social Network.” Though the PGA and the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences have agreed to disagree on their top choices, the last three years they have been simpatico.

Among those predicted to earn lead actor nominations are Golden Globe winner Colin Firth for “The King’s Speech,” Jesse Eisenberg for “The Social Network” and this year’s Academy Award co-host James Franco for “127 Hours.”

Lead actress nominations are expected for Golden Globe recipients Natalie Portman for “Black Swan” and Annette Bening for “The Kids Are All Right.”

Directing nominees are likely to be Golden Globe winner David Fincher for “The Social Network,” Christopher Nolan for “Inception,” Darren Aronofsky for “The Fighter” and Tom Hooper for “The King’s Speech.”

Supporting actor/actress nominations are predicted for Christian Bale, Amy Adams and Melissa Leo for “The Fighter”; Mila Kunis for “Black Swan”; Hailee Steinfeld for “True Grit”; Mark Ruffalo for “The Kids Are All Right”; Andrew Garfield for “The Social Network”; and Geoffrey Rush and Helena Bonham Carter for “The King’s Speech.”

The academy always like to shake things up with its nominations, so there will undoubtedly be some surprise omissions and a few bombshells.

Sharing co-hosting duties with Franco is Anne Hathaway. Can we expect some song-and-dance from her again? At the ceremony two years ago, Hathaway received stellar reviews when she joined then-Oscar host Hugh Jackman in a comedic-musical opening number.

The 83rd Academy Awards will air live at 5 p.m. Feb. 27 on ABC from the Kodak Theatre at Hollywood & Highland.