By Katie White, features staff writer

The 85th Academy Awards ceremony is being held this year on Sunday, Feb. 4, at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles.

The Oscars, presented by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, are typically considered the most prestigious of the numerous award ceremonies in Hollywood.

Because of that, the announcement of the nominees is always followed by impassioned outcries against perceived snubs.

This year, the biggest snub was easily the lack of nomination of Kathryn Bigelow for Best Director for “Zero Dark Thirty.”

Bigelow previously won Best Director at the 82nd Academy Awards for “The Hurt Locker,” and many critics predicted that she would not only just be nominated again, but would actually win.

With Bigelow out of the picture and Ben Affleck also not nominated (he won the Golden Globe for Best Director this year), the odds are heavy in the favor of Steven Spielberg for “Lincoln.”

Daniel Day-Lewis, who played Lincoln in the film, is essentially a foregone conclusion for Best Actor.

Best Actress will be a more interesting category to watch, as the two top contenders are Jessica Chastain from “Zero Dark Thirty” and Jennifer Lawrence from “Silver Linings Playbook” — both are critically acclaimed and both won a Golden Globe this year.

Best Supporting Actress is a weak category this year, with Anne Hathaway from “Les Miserables” the easy favorite.

Another widely publicized snub came in the Best Supporting Actor category — Leonardo DiCaprio was not nominated for his role as Calvin Candie in “Django Unchained.”

However, his fellow cast member Christoph Waltz, as Dr. King Shultz in “Django Unchained,” is definitely a top contender for the Oscar after his win at the Golden Globes.

But many predictions for Best Supporting Actor have Waltz neck-and-neck with Tommy Lee Jones, nominated for his role as Thaddeus Stevens in “Lincoln.”

Still, with Seth McFarlane hosting, presenters such as Daniel Radcliffe and Robert Downey Jr., and performances from Adele and Barbara Streisand, the 85th Academy Awards should be an interesting show no matter who ends up with the trophy.