"Interior.Leather.Bar" is just one film expected to increase the sexual quotient at the 2013 Sundance Film Festival.

 PARK CITY - The 2013 Sundance Film Festival is only hours away from kicking off with four premieres tonight: the documentary mystery "Who is Dayani Cristal?", U.S. dramatic competition entry "May in the Summer," "Crystal Fairy" with Michael Cera and the music doc "Twenty Feet from Stardom" (oh yeah, and "Shorts Program 1").  The early buzz is all about James Franco and his two sex movies ("Interior.Leather.Bar." and "Kink"), but by Saturday night the conversation will likely have shifted to the "big surprise" and hot acquisition targets. With that in mind, here are 10 predictions for the next week of festival going in Park City.
 

Chris Pine and Zoe Saldana in 'Star Trek Into Darkness'

Credit: Paramount Pictures

Before they "Star Trek Into Darkness," U.S.S. Enterprise crew members Chris Pine and Zoe Saldana are reuniting to host the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences’ Scientific and Technical Awards in February.

Jessica Biel in "Emanuel and the Truth About Fishes."

The 2013 Sundance Film Festival is only days away and, as usual, it will be a welcome breath of fresh air for the industry after weeks of award season campaigning and holiday blockbusters.  On the outset, this year's slate of U.S. dramatic competition films and premieres appear friendlier than usual to mainstream audiences.  A number of the dramatic competition films have more recognizable than previous years stars such as "Ain't Them Bodies Saints" (Rooney Mara, Casey Affleck), "Afternoon Delight" (Kathryn Hahn, Josh Radnor, Jane Lynch), "Austenland" (Keri Russell), "Kill Your Darlings" (Daniel Radcliffe, Michael C. Hall), "Fruitvale" (Octavia Spencer, Chad Michael Murray), "The Lifeguard" (Kristen Bell) and "Emanuel and the Truth About Fishes."  

Tina Fey and Amy Poehler during the 70th Annual Golden Globes.

Credit: AP Photo

Did we just experience the greatest awards show program this century?  From Amy Poehler and Tina Fey's hilarious opening monologue to nary a weak speech among the winners, the 70th Golden Globe Awards was three hours of (mostly) well paced drama that miraculously fit around a now legendary speech from Jodie Foster that many in Hollywood will still be thinking about when they wake up Monday morning. This is where live television excels as a medium and, no joke, we have the HFPA to thank for it.

It's that time of year. The few hours a year when the worlds of film and television come together in a drunken mess (well, until they reconvene at the SAG Awards in two weeks).  Yes, it's Golden Globes time people. And if anyone can throw a party, er, find movie studios and networks to pay for fabulous parties it's the Hollywood Foreign Press Association. Using our connections with those that are the "inside" of the approximately 80-something member organization and our ability to predict the HFPA's need to please everyone, HitFix's Executive Editor Daniel Fienberg and I present you our predictions for the 70th Golden Globe Awards.

It's been two days since the Academy Awards nominations were announced and Hollywood is still getting over the snubs and surprises. Like Nancy Kerrigan's primal cry of "Why? Why? Why?" echoing through time, industry pundits, critics across the globe, a plethora of Sony Pictures employees and Academy members not in the directing branch are opening questioning how Kathryn Bigelow could have been overlooked in the best directing category.  And the outrage over Ben Affleck's omission is only slightly quieter.  Clearly, it's never to late to review the lessons the Academy's collective membership have taught us so far this year.  With that in mind, here's 10 things we've learned so far.

Jessica Chastain in a scene from Kathryn Bigelow's "Zero Dark Thirty."

Credit: Sony Pictures

Sony Pictures chairwoman Amy Pascal appears to have had enough of the accusations that "Zero Dark Thirty" advocates torture. Likely prompted by Academy member David Clennon's assertion "I will not be voting for Zero Dark Thirty - in any Academy Awards category" from a post on Truth-Out.org, Pascal released a statement with her opinion on the matter.

Seth MacFarlane and Emma Stone announce the nominees for the 85th Academy Awards.

Credit: AP Photo/Chris PIzzello

For the first time since In Contention first teamed up with HitFix in October of 2011, Kris Tapley, Guy Lodge and I posted our Oscar nominations side by side for comparison's sake. There were a couple of easy takeaways.

Credit: AP Photo/Chris PIzzello

Ang Lee likely woke up this morning knowing his critically acclaimed 3D epic "Life of Pi" would earn a number of key Academy Awards nominations.  Speaking to HitFix earlier today, the helmer of of such classics as "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon" and "Brokeback Mountain" admitted that he wasn't expecting "Pi" to land a mammoth 11 nominations.

Jennifer Lawrence at the People's Choice Awards Wednesday, Jan 9.

Credit: AP Photo

A two-time Oscar nominee at the age of 22?  The face of one of Hollywood's biggest new franchises? Yep, life is good for Jennifer Lawrence.

The "Silver Linings Playbook" star spoke with HitFix about her second best actress nomination this morning calling the news, "unreal."