In all the hubbub over the Oscars, you might have forgotten that another awards show happened over the weekend, the 2012 Film Independent Spirit Awards, which were handed out Saturday, 24 hours before the big Academy shindig. While initially created to celebrate the best and brightest in indie film, in recent years the list of Indie Spirit nominees and winners has come to bear a striking resemblance to the Oscars. That was particularly true this year, when The Artist won for Best Film, Best Director and Best Male Lead... the same categories it triumphed in at the Oscars the following evening. Which begs the question: at this point, is there any difference between the Indie Spirit Awards and the Academy Awards? Let's compare the two ceremonies in a few key areas.

The Artist added another batch of awards to its shelf last night, these ones hailing from across the pond in ol' Blighty. The annual BAFTA (that's the British Academy of Film and Television Arts for all of us Yankees) Awards were handed out last night at London's Royal Festival Hall and all of the big Oscar contenders -- George Clooney! Michelle Williams! Brad Pitt! -- made the trip to press the flesh on the red carpet.

It used to be next to impossible to see the various films nominated every year in the Oscar's three short film categories (animated, live action and documentary) a.k.a. that point in the telecast when you go to the bathroom/grab another beer/channel surf to check out what else is on. In recent years though, the distribution companies Magnolia and ShortsHD have banded together to ensure that these movies get a wider release, both in theaters and through new avenues like video on demand. Screenings of the 2012 nominees start in select cities Friday and will continue to open around the country (and overseas) over the next month. And beginning February 21st -- five days before Oscar night -- the films will also be available for purchase on iTunes. (Visit the official website to find more information on when and where the shorts may be playing near you.) Here's our take on all of the nominated short films, as well as the ones we think should and will win.

We've arrived at the fifth and final week of voting in our second-annual Movies Without Pity Awards. And, just like Oscar night, we've saved the biggest categories for last. Think The Artist really is the best movie of the year, as the Academy seems poised to decide? Or would you cast your vote for its fellow nominees Moneyball, War Horse or The Tree of Life instead? Or maybe you'd like to pick a movie completely overlooked by Oscar, like, say Attack the Block, The Muppets or Margaret.

The Oscar nominations released their picks for the year's best supporting performances last week. Tell us whether you think they were right by registering your vote in Week 4 of the Movie Without Pity Awards, which leads off with Best Supporting Actor and Best Supporting Actress. But why stop there? You can also tell us who you though was the year's Worst Supporting Actor and Actress. For example, we would have placed My Week with Marilyn's Kenneth Branagh in the latter category, as opposed to what Academy voters wound up going with.

Why is this man smiling?

The Oscar nominations are announced tomorrow, but in the meantime, you can register your own opinion on the best and worst of the past year in film via The Movie Without Pity Awards.

The next crop of MWoP Awards polls have just opened and are awaiting your opinions. Was there a worse comedy this year than Bucky Larson: Born To Be a Star? A better one than Bridesmaids? And what about the year's lamest villain -- had to be that gaseous space cloud floating through Green Lantern, right?

Frustrated that Captain America: The First Avenger isn't a Best Picture contender? Can't understand why everyone raved over Crazy, Stupid, Love.? Make your own voice heard about this year's best and worst movies by voting early and often in the Movie Without Pity Awards.

The big winners at this year's Golden Globes nominations are George Clooney and The Artist, in that order. The big losers? Fans of The Tree of Life.