As the 84th Academy Awards move closer, we’re starting to get a better sense of how things will pan out. We recently shared the 39 songs that will contend for the Best Original Song category, and now the Academy has announced the 97 original scores eligible for the Best Original Score award. AMPAS is notoriously picky when it comes to eligibility in this category, and as we feared the scores for both Drive and Attack the Block have been deemed ineligible. Also disappointing is the ineligibility of Alexandre Desplat’s mesmerizing score for The Tree of Life.

While it’s upsetting to see some of the year’s best work side-lined, there’s plenty to be happy about. I was a huge fan of Howard Shore’s work in Hugo and Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross’s score for The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, as well as The Chemical Brothers’ brilliant work in the criminally underseen Hanna. Hit the jump for the full list, as well as who I think will make the cut.

In a photo-finish that could very well end up too close to call, it looks like Shawn Levy’s sci-fi pic Real Steel has topped the box office for the second weekend in a row, just edging out the Footloose remake. Estimates have Real Steel with $16.3 million for the weekend, with Footloose finishing with a respectable $16.1 million. The neck-and-neck race may come down to Sunday totals, with the family-heavy day giving a slight edge to the all-ages Real Steel. Hit the jump for more details.

Footloose opened at the top of the charts this Friday with $5.6 million, but the remake will have to keep dancing its heart out to fend off last week’s champion Real Steel.  Both movies should land in the $15-18 million range for the weekend.  The revival of fellow beloved 80s property The Thing debuted in third place with a weaker $3.2 million.  Still better than this week’s other wide release, The Big Year, which earned just $1.15 million this Friday despite a trio of high profile leads in Steve Martin, Owen Wilson, and Jack Black.  Check back tomorrow for the weekend totals.

Fox 2000 has released the first trailer for the competitive birding comedy The Big Year.  Steve Martin, Jack Black, and Owen Wilson star as three men who try to outdo each other during a year-long competition to spot the rarest birds in North America.  Martin, Black and Wilson can all be incredibly funny given the right material, but nothing in this trailer made me laugh. Given the story, it’s possible that the film is more of a dramedy, but one would think there would be at least some laughs to be had given the excellent cast. I’m hoping that they’re holding back the goods, so I’ll reserve judgement until we see more.

Rosamund Pike, Jim Parsons, Joel McHale, JoBeth Williams, Brian Dennehy, Dianne Wiest, Anthony Anderson, and Tim Blake Nelson also star.  David Frankel (Marley & Me) directed the adaptation of the Mark Obmascik book. The Big Year opens October 14th.  Watch the trailer after the jump.

New images have gone online for Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol, Lars Von Trier’s Melancholia, the bird-watching comedy The Big Year, and The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo.  Hit the jump to check out all the images along with synopses and brief descriptions for each film.

The drama Monogamy is a very real portrayal of a relationship on the brink, as it is faces the fear of commitment and the fantasy that reality can never live up to. Bored with his job as a wedding photographer, Theo (Chris Messina) forms a company where he is hired by clients to clandestinely snap voyeuristic photos of them, as they go about their daily lives. When a sexy exhibitionist (Meital Dohan) hires him, he quickly becomes obsessed with her, stalking her day and night, which threatens his relationship and impending marriage to Nat (Rashida Jones). As Theo is consumed with thoughts about his client, the couple are forced to face truths about their own issues and sex life at home.

At the film’s press day, actress Rashida Jones did this exclusive interview with Collider and talked about the attraction of playing such a challenging role, the importance of keeping the characters and story as real as possible, and working with an actor as committed to the work as Chris Messina. She also talked about where things are going for her character on her NBC comedy Parks & Recreation, reuniting with her Freaks & Geeks co-star Jason Segel for The Muppets, how much she loved working with Kermit the Frog, how she’s looking forward to doing a guest appearance on the upcoming FX series Wilfred (starring Elijah Wood), and her role in the upcoming comedy The Big Year, with Jack Black and Owen Wilson. Check out what she had to say after the jump.

Joel McHale has signed on to co-star in the Anna Faris comedy What’s Your Number? According to THR, McHale will play “Faris’ mildly charming boss, whom she accidentally sleeps with, causing her to begin a wild goose chase to find the one that got away.”  I think this could be huge miscasting.  I can’t imagine McHale as anyone who isn’t ridiculously charming.  I probably wouldn’t watch The Soup if he wasn’t the host and he’s part of the amazing cast that has helped to make Community one of the funniest shows on television.  The actor/host has also joined the cast of the Owen Wilson-Jack Black-Steve Martin comedy The Big Year, which we reported on yesterday.  McHale will play Martin’s boss (I guess McHale’s got a look that screams “management”?)

What’s Your Number? is based on the book by Karyn Bosnak.  Jennifer Crittenden and Gabrielle Allan wrote the script and Mark Mylod will direct.  The cast also includes Chris Evans, Zachary Quinto, and Matt Bomer.  Shooting is set to begin at the end of the month.