Giant coffee table books, iPod Shuffles, signed letters from directors, even “Lincoln” turkey roasting pans. That's just some of the largesse doled out by the studios to voters for awards presented earlier this season — each with the potential to influence the outcome of Hollywood's most important awards, Sunday night's Oscars.

Quirky comedy “Silver Linings Playbook” dominated the Independent Spirit Awards on the eve of Hollywood's Academy Awards ceremony, winning four prizes including for Best Feature.

It was an extra starry, musical day at the Dolby Theatre as Adele took the stage first Friday, followed by the cast of “Les Miserables,” singing together of the first time.

Michael Haneke's Oscar-nominated film “Amour” about a man and his dying wife on Friday scooped the top prizes at France's annual film awards, the Cesars, which also honored Hollywood actor-director Kevin Costner with a lifetime achievement award. In addition to best film, “Amour” took best director and best script for Austrian Haneke and its French stars Jean-Louis Trintignant and 85-year-old Emmanuelle Riva picked up best actor and actress.

Hollywood's biggest stars, after weeks of dieting for the red carpet, finally get to pick up their cocktail forks again at the glittering banquet that follows Sunday's Academy Awards ceremony.

Bryan Buckley is known as “King of the Super Bowl” — he's a prolific commercial director who frequently helms many of the big game's highest-profile spots for companies including Coca-Cola and Best Buy. But this year he'll be at the Oscars, hopefully with some unusual companions.

The movie studios behind this year's Best Picture nominees already have brought home a treasured prize: big box-office sales that placed the Oscar contenders among the most-watched films of 2012.

Nine-year-old Oscar nominee Quvenzhane Wallis toted a plush, dog-shaped purse with jeweled handles as she rubbed shoulders with Oprah Winfrey and Alfre Woodard.

He stands only 13.5 inches (34 centimeters) tall and weighs just 8.5 pounds (3.85 kilos) — but Oscar, in all his bald gold-plated glory, is the holy grail of Hollywood.

Dan O'Brien's “The Body of an American” and Robert Schenkkan's “All the Way” have been named the inaugural winners of a theater award honoring the late U.S. Sen. Edward Kennedy.