Oxygen halts controversial 'Babies' Mamas' project

NEW YORK (AP) — Oxygen Media has pulled the plug on "All My Babies' Mamas," a reality special the network was developing about a musician who has fathered 11 children with 10 different mothers.

The network offered no reason for curtailing the project. In a statement issued Tuesday, Oxygen said that, "as part of our development process, we have reviewed casting and decided not to move forward with the special."

The one-hour program would have featured Atlanta rap artist Shawty Lo, his children and their mothers. It was expected to air later this year on Oxygen, an NBCUniversal cable network owned by Comcast.

"All My Babies' Mamas" got a hostile public reception after Oxygen announced it last month. At least one petition calling for Oxygen to shut it down has collected more than 37,000 signatures.

The Parents Television Council called the program's concept "grotesquely irresponsible and exploitive" and pledged to contact advertisers of the show if it reached the air.

Previously, Oxygen denied charges that the show was meant to be "a stereotypical representation of everyday life for any one demographic or cross section of society," but rather would reveal "the complicated lives of one man, his children's mamas and their army of children."

On Tuesday, Oxygen said it will "continue to develop compelling content that resonates with our young female viewers and drives the cultural conversation."

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Online:

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Fitch warns that debt-limit delay could hurt U.S. credit rating

WASHINGTON — As Congress again veers close to the nation's debt limit, a leading credit rating company is delivering a stark warning: Don't wait until the last minute.

Fitch Ratings said Tuesday that the U.S. could lose its AAA credit rating if lawmakers don't raise the $16.4-trillion debt limit in a "timely manner" as a possible default looms as early as mid-February.

Congressional Republicans want major government spending cuts in exchange for another debt-limit increase. But Fitch, one of three major credit-rating companies, said the debt limit should not be used as leverage.

"In Fitch's opinion, the debt ceiling is an ineffective and potentially dangerous mechanism for enforcing fiscal discipline," the company said.

For that reason, a group of House Democrats on Wednesday plan to announce legislation to eliminate the debt limit. They said Republicans are exploiting it and risking another financial crisis.

QUIZ: Test your knowledge about the debt limit

"In the old days, which weren't that long ago, both parties grandstanded on the debt ceiling," Rep. Peter Welch (D-Vt.) said. "But grandstanding is one thing. Defaulting is another, and they're prepared to do it."

Congress has increased the debt limit 76 times since 1962. But in recent years, as the budget deficit has soared, clashes over the limit have become more contentious.

Standard & Poor's downgraded the nation's AAA rating in 2011 after the last debt-limit battle. Fitch and the other major firm, Moody's Investors Service, did not. But they have given the U.S. rating a negative outlook, a prelude to a downgrade.

Fitch said Tuesday that it wasn't calling for elimination of the debt limit, just raising concerns about how it is being used.

"Fitch is not advocating any particular policy, but we are making the point that regular episodes of running up against the debt ceiling generates considerable uncertainty and undermines confidence in the predictability and reliability of the federal government as a borrower," said David Riley, Fitch's managing director for sovereign and supranational ratings.

A repeat of the 2011 brinkmanship would trigger a formal review of the U.S. credit rating because it would raise doubts about the ability of policymakers to agree on ways to reduce the budget deficit, Fitch said.

But the firm also noted that failure by Congress and the White House to agree on a plan to reduce the deficit could lead to a credit-rating downgrade later this year "even if another debt-ceiling crisis is averted."

House Majority Leader Eric Cantor (R-Va.) seized on that second point and criticized President Obama for saying he would not negotiate budget cuts with Congress in exchange for a debt-limit increase.

"It's time for President Obama to stop putting our credit rating at risk and acknowledge we need a credible deficit reduction plan attached to any increase in the debt limit," Cantor said. "It's time to come together, get to work and solve the problem."

Obama said Monday that borrowing under the debt limit pays only for spending already authorized by Congress and that lawmakers were responsible for raising the limit or risking an economically devastating default.

The U.S. technically reached the debt limit on Dec. 31. But the Treasury Department has been using what it calls "extraordinary measures" to juggle the nation's finances and buy some more time.

Treasury Secretary Timothy F. Geithner informed congressional leaders Monday that those measures would be exhausted as early as mid-February, though they could give lawmakers until mid-March. Geithner said it was difficult to be more precise because the flow of money in and out of the Treasury is more volatile during tax season.

On Tuesday, Geithner wrote to congressional leaders to say that the Treasury had initiated another of those measures, suspending daily reinvestment of a federal employees' pension plan. Treasury has said the move — essentially borrowing from the plan — would free up about $156 billion.

Once the debt limit is increased, the plan would be reimbursed, Geithner said.

jim.puzzanghera@latimes.com

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Finding a taste of home — and memories— east of the 710

The waiter brings out dessert, steaming porridge laced with a pungent sweetness, and I'm suddenly back in my parents' kitchen more than 3,000 miles away.

"What is this again?" my friend asks, taking a sniff of the viscous mixture of fermented rice and black mochi swirled into an egg drop soup. A recent East Coast transplant, he had unknowingly picked an apartment in Monterey Park, finding himself in a suburban Chinese immigrant enclave and Asian food mecca rather than the Hollywood version of L.A. he was expecting.

Give this place a chance, I had told him. After all, I keep coming back.

I want to tell him not to think of the porridge's yeast-like smell as funky; it's the fragrance of years of birthdays and Christmas treats. It's an odor usually hidden within my mother's dishwasher, where she safely stores homemade kimchi and other "stinky" ingredients instead of clean dishes. The first time I found lao zao on a greasy laminated menu in the San Gabriel Valley, I ordered two for myself.

"There's no English name for this dish because the translation doesn't do it justice," I say instead, rattling off the ingredients. "It's my favorite."

Huh, he says, still staring at his bowl. "Sounds appetizing."

Sitting in this mom-and-pop shop squeezed into a street lined with massage parlors and dumpling shops, I'm at home in a region that I've never even lived in. Here, what's served on the table trumps the need for any service or ambience. Loud chatter replaces background music, and charm consists of fluorescent lighting and bare white walls. If the chairs don't creak, something's not right.

I'm still finding ways to explain this — to friends, to co-workers and to my roommate who grew up in Manhattan Beach. East of the 710 Freeway, in pockets of the San Gabriel Valley, I keep stumbling on fragments of my childhood in cramped restaurants and herbal shops and standing-only boba joints.

There are the red banners taped onto almost every front door like the one my grandma insists on hanging for good luck. Circular dining tables are the norm and hot tea tastes best in chipped white ceramic cups that add nothing to the decor. If you ask for the neighborhood hangout, many point to Savoy Kitchen, a corner joint known for its chrysanthemum tea and Hainan chicken. Yelp reviews: 1,651 and counting. Cash only. No alcohol.

On my own out here, I often fill in my parents on weekend discoveries. But calls home about LACMA, Amoeba Music, and Umami Burger barely get a reaction. Anything in the San Gabriel Valley, on the other hand, is a conversation starter. There's always something to discuss. Even the comfort food of my father's ancient hometown, in a province in central China whose natives favor noodles over rice, has made its way onto local menus.

"I found a place that actually makes yang rou pao mo," I tell my dad, describing a particular lamb stew we eat when we visit my grandma in Xi'an, China, who still greets us with the same four traditional meals — pao mo, liang pi, he zi, and dumplings — even as the city outside her cramped apartment changes. A Starbucks recently opened across the street.

"That's impossible," he grunts in Chinese. "There's no way they can get the texture right."

Seconds later, he interrupts me. "Take me there next time," he says.

I tell baba about the fresh soy milk I can get for breakfast, ground just the way he does it with our souped-up blender. I leave out other details, like the cloudy plastic cups of water and how the owner might be shelling peas at the table next to you as you eat. Who cares if the fork is placed on the right side of the plate? There's always a pile of chopsticks up for grabs in the middle of the table.

My first Chinese New Year alone, the one time each year I find myself wearing red in respect for my elders and reaching out to as many relatives as possible, I drive 32 miles in the rain from my Mid-City home to Hacienda Heights to join thousands of attendees at Hsi Lai Temple, a massive Buddhist temple like no other in this country. Surrounded by strangers who understand why I came, we welcome the downpour that symbolizes prosperity in the new year. Across time zones, I know my family is doing the same.

Growing up in a small town outside of Boston, where all Chinese American families were best friends by default and could fit into one house for Thanksgiving potlucks, I never thought I was missing out. But meeting so many others who grew up in Southern California's immigrant enclaves, I'm struck by their confidence to inhabit both Chinese and American cultures without comprising either.

Like a memory game, each fragment of childhood I find here revives the traditions my parents preserved. It's like a test to see how much I actually know my own heritage.

Or what it means to me. In the end, I come to these immigrant establishments as an outsider, a New Englander of Chinese descent living in Los Angeles, still trying to fit all those pieces together.

At a new bar in Monterey Park, bingeing on Japanese craft brews and fried lotus root, I joke about tiger moms and tai chi with other Asian Americans. The place is young, but I can picture my father here. He'd feel right at home with the pastel image of a protective spirit hanging on the wall, just like any ordinary living room. He'd try to take a photo of the San Gabriel Mountains you can see from the roof and wonder what Calpico would taste like in a cocktail.

Drinking doesn't fit into any fond memory of growing up with my Chinese parents, but who said nostalgia can't be formed?

"You know, I don't think I've had a beer on draft since the first year I came to America," my dad says over the phone.

No way, that's like 30 years ago, I say. "You have to come see this place then... I'll buy you your first drink."

He chuckles over the phone.

He ba, he says. "I'll drink to that."

rosanna.xia@latimes.com

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Smartphone data consumption tops tablets for the first time ever

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AP source: Armstrong tells Oprah he doped

AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — Lance Armstrong confessed to Oprah Winfrey during an interview Monday that he used performance-enhancing drugs to win the Tour de France, a person familiar with the situation told The Associated Press.

The person spoke on condition of anonymity because the interview is to be broadcast Thursday on Winfrey's network.

Armstrong was stripped of all seven Tour titles last year following a voluminous U.S. Anti-Doping Agency report that portrayed him as a ruthless competitor, willing to go to any lengths to win the prestigious race.

USADA chief executive Travis Tygart labeled the doping regimen allegedly carried out by the U.S. Postal Service team that Armstrong once led, "The most sophisticated, professionalized and successful doping program that sport has ever seen."

After a federal investigation of the cyclist was dropped without charges being brought last year, USADA stepped in with an investigation of its own. The agency deposed 11 former teammates and accused Armstrong of masterminding a complex and brazen drug program that included steroids, blood boosters and a range of other performance-enhancers.

A group of about 10 close friends and advisers to Armstrong left a downtown Austin hotel about three hours after they arrived Monday afternoon for the taping. Among them were Armstrong attorneys Tim Herman and Sean Breen, along with Bill Stapleton, Armstrong's longtime agent, manager and business partner. All declined comment entering and exiting the session.

Soon afterward, Winfrey tweeted: "Just wrapped with (at)lancearmstrong More than 2 1/2 hours. He came READY!" She was scheduled to appear on "CBS This Morning" on Tuesday to discuss the interview.

In a text to the AP on Saturday, Armstrong said: "I told her (Winfrey) to go wherever she wants and I'll answer the questions directly, honestly and candidly. That's all I can say."

Armstrong stopped at the Livestrong Foundation, which he founded, on his way to the interview and said, "I'm sorry" to staff members, some of whom broke down in tears. A person with knowledge of that session said Armstrong choked up and several employees cried during the session.

The person also said Armstrong apologized for letting the staff down and putting Livestrong at risk but he did not make a direct confession to using banned drugs. He said he would try to restore the foundation's reputation, and urged the group to continue fighting for the charity's mission of helping cancer patients and their families.

Armstrong spoke to a room full of about 100 staff members for about 20 minutes, expressing regret for everything the controversy has put them through, the person said. He told them how much the foundation means to him and that he considers the people who work there to be like members of his family. None of the people in the room challenged Armstrong over his long denials of doping.

Winfrey and her crew had earlier said they would film Monday's session at Armstrong's home. As a result, local and international news crews were encamped near the cyclist's Spanish-style villa before dawn.

Armstrong still managed to slip away for a run despite the crowds outside his home. He returned by cutting through a neighbor's yard and hopping a fence.

___

Jim Litke reported from Chicago.

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Well: How to Go Vegan

When I first heard former President Bill Clinton talk about his vegan diet, I was inspired to make the switch myself. After all, if a man with a penchant for fast-food burgers and Southern cooking could go vegan, surely I could too.

At the grocery store, I stocked up on vegan foods, including almond milk (that was the presidential recommendation), and faux turkey and cheese to replicate my daughter’s favorite sandwich. But despite my good intentions, my cold-turkey attempt to give up, well, turkey (as well as other meats, dairy and eggs) didn’t go well. My daughter and I couldn’t stand the taste of almond milk, and the fake meat and cheese were unappealing.

Since then, I’ve spoken with numerous vegan chefs and diners who say it can be a challenge to change a lifetime of eating habits overnight. They offer the following advice for stocking your vegan pantry and finding replacements for key foods like cheese and other dairy products.

NONDAIRY MILK Taste all of them to find your favorite. Coconut and almond milks (particularly canned coconut milk) are thicker and good to use in cooking, while rice milk is thinner and is good for people who are allergic to nuts or soy. My daughter and I both prefer the taste of soy milk and use it in regular or vanilla flavor for fruit smoothies and breakfast cereal.

NONDAIRY CHEESE Cheese substitutes are available under the brand names Daiya, Tofutti and Follow Your Heart, among others, but many vegans say there’s no fake cheese that satisfies as well as the real thing. Rather than use a packaged product, vegan chefs prefer to make homemade substitutes using cashews, tofu, miso or nutritional yeast. At Candle 79, a popular New York vegan restaurant, the filling for saffron ravioli with wild mushrooms and cashew cheese is made with cashews soaked overnight and then blended with lemon juice, olive oil, water and salt.

THINK CREAMY, NOT CHEESY Creaminess and richness can often be achieved without a cheese substitute. For instance, Chloe Coscarelli, a vegan chef and the author of “Chloe’s Kitchen,” has created a pizza with caramelized onion and butternut squash that will make you forget it doesn’t have cheese; the secret is white-bean and garlic purée. She also offers a creamy, but dairy-free, avocado pesto pasta. My daughter and I have discovered we actually prefer the rich flavor of butternut squash ravioli, which can be found frozen and fresh in supermarkets, to cheese-filled ravioli.

NUTRITIONAL YEAST The name is unappetizing, but many vegan chefs swear by it: it’s a natural food with a roasted, nutty, cheeselike flavor. Ms. Coscarelli uses nutritional yeast flakes in her “best ever” baked macaroni and cheese (found in her cookbook). “I’ve served this to die-hard cheese lovers,” she told me, “and everyone agrees it is comparable, if not better.”

Susan Voisin’s Web site, Fat Free Vegan Kitchen, offers a nice primer on nutritional yeast, noting that it’s a fungus (think mushrooms!) that is grown on molasses and then harvested and dried with heat. (Baking yeast is an entirely different product.) Nutritional yeasts can be an acquired taste, she said, so start with small amounts, sprinkling on popcorn, stirring into mashed potatoes, grinding with almonds for a Parmesan substitute or combining with tofu to make an eggless omelet. It can be found in Whole Foods, in the bulk aisle of natural-foods markets or online.

BUTTER This is an easy fix. Vegan margarines like Earth Balance are made from a blend of oils and are free of trans fats. Varieties include soy-free, whipped and olive oil.

EGGS Ms. Coscarelli, who won the Food Network’s Cupcake Wars with vegan cupcakes, says vinegar and baking soda can help baked goods bind together and rise, creating a moist and fluffy cake without eggs. Cornstarch can substitute for eggs to thicken puddings and sauces. Vegan pancakes are made with a tablespoon of baking powder instead of eggs. Frittatas and omelets can be replicated with tofu.

Finally, don’t try to replicate your favorite meaty foods right away. If you love a juicy hamburger, meatloaf or ham sandwich, you are not going to find a meat-free version that tastes the same. Ms. Voisin advises new vegans to start slow and eat a few vegan meals a week. Stock your pantry with lots of grains, lentils and beans and pile your plate with vegetables. To veganize a recipe, start with a dish that is mostly vegan already — like spaghetti — and use vegetables or a meat substitute for the sauce.

“Trying to recapture something and find an exact substitute is really hard,” she said. “A lot of people will try a vegetarian meatloaf right after they become vegetarian, and they hate it. But after you get away from eating meat for a while, you’ll find you start to develop other tastes, and the flavor of a lentil loaf with seasonings will taste great to you. It won’t taste like meat loaf, but you’ll appreciate it for itself.”

Ms. Voisin notes that she became a vegetarian and then vegan while living in a small town in South Carolina; she now lives in Jackson, Miss.

“If I can be a vegan in these not-quite-vegan-centric places, you can do it anywhere,” she said. “I think people who try to do it all at once overnight are more apt to fail. It’s a learning process.”

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What are your vegantips? We’re collecting suggestions on ingredients, recipes and strategies.

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Bernanke urges Congress to raise the debt limit

WASHINGTON -- Federal Reserve Chairman Ben S. Bernanke on Monday warned Congress that it needed to raise the debt limit so the U.S. could pay its bills and not face default, which he said would be “very, very costly to our economy.”

Speaking just a few hours after President Obama chided Republican lawmakers for threatening to refuse to lift the debt ceiling without spending cuts, Bernanke sounded very much like the president in suggesting that the issue of the impending debt limit should not be conflated with policies of government spending and revenues.

Raising the debt ceiling, Bernanke said at a forum at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, “gives the government the ability to pay its existing bills -- it doesn’t create new spending.”

To drive home his point, Bernanke said that failing to lift the nation’s $16.4-trillion debt limit, expected to be reached between mid-February and March, would be like a family deciding not to pay its credit card bills because it was spending too much. Obama, in a news conference earlier in the day, used a similar analogy of a family eating out and then deciding not to pay its check.

Top Republican lawmakers responded to Obama’s remarks by saying they would stick to their plans to use the debt-limit negotiations to rein in spending and reduce deficits. "The American people do not support raising the debt ceiling without reducing government spending at the same time," said House Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio).

Bernanke, a registered Republican who was first appointed as Fed chairman by President George W. Bush in 2006, has been careful not to lecture Congress about fiscal policies or appear to take sides in the highly partisan and rancorous budget debate between Obama and congressional Republicans. At the same time, Bernanke has frequently urged lawmakers to come up with a credible budget plan that would bring down the nation’s deficits to a sustainable level over time without impeding the fragile recovery.

Bernanke noted that policymakers face “difficult and contentious decisions” about spending and tax policies that need to be addressed, but suggested that didn’t need to happen “in the context of the debt ceiling.”

The Fed chairman said the government’s 11^th-hour action to avert most of the so-called fiscal cliff of tax hikes and spending cuts made “a bit of progress” in getting the federal budget under control, but with the debt-ceiling problem and automatic spending cuts postponed until March, he said that “we’re not out of the woods.”     

In a wide-ranging forum that included questions from the audience and those sent in by Twitter, Bernanke spoke about defending the Fed's independence and the central bank's recent move to link short-term interest rate policy specifically to the unemployment rate.

Bernanke said he remained unsatisfied about the high unemployment rate, currently 7.8%, but noted there were some positive developments in the economy that could make 2013 a better year. He cited the recovering housing market, the improvement in state and local government finances and the nation’s strong energy industry.

“I do think things are moving, not as fast as we like, but in the right direction,” he said.

Bernanke gave only a brief response to a question about the idea of the government issuing a $1-trillion platinum coin to avoid the debt ceiling and pay its bills.

Over the weekend, the Treasury Department and the Fed both ruled out the idea, saying it wasn’t the right way to go.

“I’m not going to give that any oxygen,” he said.

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Egyptian court orders new trial for Mubarak

CAIRO—

An Egyptian court granted an appeal by former President Hosni Mubarak and ordered a new trial into the killings of hundreds of protesters during the 2011 uprising, a move certain to inflame the political unrest that has upset the country’s democratic transition.

The ruling was a victory for the ailing Mubarak and his Interior minister, Habib Adli, who also won his appeal. Both men, who had been sentenced to life in prison, face other criminal charges and are likely to remain in detention until a new trial in the deaths by security forces of more than 800 protesters.

“The previous ruling was unfair and illegal,” said Yousry Abdelrazeg, one of Mubarak’s lawyers, who accused the judge in the first trial of political bias. “The case was just a mess and there was no evidence against Mubarak.”

No date has been set for the new trial.

The court’s decision comes amid turmoil over an Islamist-backed constitution and outrage over the expanded powers of Islamist President Mohamed Morsi. It means a bloody chapter in Egypt’s 2011 revolt will be revisited with the prospect that Mubarak, whose police state ruled for 30 years, may be absolved in a case that deepened the nation’s political differences and impassioned the Arab world.

Mubarak was convicted in June of not preventing the deaths of hundreds of protesters attacked by police and snipers during the uprising, which began on Jan. 25, 2011, and ended 18 days later when he stepped aside and the military seized power.

Mubarak argued that he had not ordered the crackdown and was unaware of the extent of the violence. A recently completed government-ordered investigation into the killings, however, reportedly found that Mubarak had monitored the deadly response by security forces in Tahrir Square via a live television feed.

The appeals court ruling came a day after prosecutors announced an investigation into allegations that Mubarak, 84, received about $1 million in illicit gifts from Al Ahram, the country’s leading state-owned newspaper. The former president has reportedly been in a military hospital since December after he fell in a prison bathroom and injured himself.

Last year’s trial riveted the nation with images of the aging Mubarak wheeled into the defendant’s cage on a stretcher, his arms crossed and his eyes hidden behind sunglasses.

jeffrey.fleishman@latimes.com  

(Special correspondent Reem Abdellatif contributed to this report)

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Facebook search leads to Iowa man, sister reunion

DAVENPORT, Iowa (AP) — An Iowa man has been reunited with his sister 65 years after the siblings were separated in foster care thanks to a 7-year-old friend who searched Facebook.

Sixty-six-year-old Clifford Boyson of Davenport met his 70-year-old sister, Betty Billadeau, in person on Saturday. Billadeau drove up from her home in Florissant, Mo., with her daughter and granddaughter for the reunion.

Boyson and Billadeau both tried to find each other for years without success.

Then 7-year-old Eddie Hanzelin, who is the son of Boyson‘s landlord, got involved.

Eddie managed to find Billadeau by searching Facebook with her maiden name. He recognized the family resemblance when he saw her picture.

Near the end of their tearful reunion Boyson and Billadeau presented Eddie with a $ 125 check in appreciation of his detective work.

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Stars begin arriving at Golden Globes Awards

BEVERLY HILLS, Calif. (AP) — Looking glamorous but feeling frigid, stars from film and television arrived Sunday for the Golden Globes ceremony, battling crisp temperatures on the red carpet.

Debra Messing from "Smash" came in a strapless black gown and goosebumps. Asked how she was coping with the cold, she replied, "Not well." Melissa Rauch of "The Big Bang Theory" also shivered in her strapless red gown. "I'm absolutely freezing!" she said.

Claire Danes of "Homeland" in Versace and Zooey Deschanel of "New Girl" in a strapless Oscar de la Renta gown walked near heat lamps as the mercury stayed in the high 50s. "I'm so cold. My legs aren't cold but my arms are," said Deschanel.

Early arrivals also included Hayden Panettiere of "Nashville," Ariel Winter of "Modern Family" and TV personalities Nicole Ritchie and Kelly Osbourne. Jennifer Lawrence, nominated for "Silver Linings Playbook," slipped a pale blue wool coat over her red gown.

Not everyone was grousing. "I'm totally comfortable," Glenn Close, whose Zac Posen dress was paired with matching jacket, told NBC. "Usually, it's really hot, so I'm having a nice time so far."

Julia Louis-Dreyfus, a nominee for best actress in a comedy for "Veep," wore a strapless Vera Wang gown and agreed. "I'd rather be nippy than boiling hot," she said.

The Globes are in a rare place this season, coming after the Academy Award nominations, which were announced earlier than usual and threw out some shockers that have left the Globes show a little less relevant.

Key Globe contenders lined up largely as expected, with Steven Spielberg's Civil War saga "Lincoln" leading with seven nominations and two CIA thrillers — Kathryn Bigelow's "Zero Dark Thirty" and Ben Affleck's "Argo" — also doing well.

All three films earned Globe nominations for best drama and director. Yet while "Lincoln," ''Argo" and "Zero Dark Thirty" grabbed best-picture slots at Thursday's Oscar nominations, Bigelow and Affleck were snubbed for directing honors after a season that had seen them in the running for almost every other major award.

The Globe and Oscar directing fields typically match up closely. This time, though, only Spielberg and "Life of Pi" director Ang Lee have nominations for both. Along with Spielberg, Lee, Bigelow and Affleck, Quentin Tarantino is nominated for directing at the Globes. At the Oscars, it's Spielberg, Lee, "Silver Linings Playbook" director David O. Russell and two surprise picks: veteran Austrian filmmaker Michael Haneke for "Amour" and first-time director Benh Zeitlin for "Beasts of the Southern Wild."

That forces some top-name filmmakers to put on brave faces for the Globes. And while a Globe might be a nice consolation prize, it could be a little awkward if Affleck, Bigelow or Tarantino won Sunday and had to make a cheery acceptance speech knowing they don't have seats at the grown-ups table for the Feb. 24 Oscars.

That could happen. While "Lincoln" has the most nominations, it's a purely American story that may not have as much appeal to Globe voters — about 90 reporters belonging to the Hollywood Foreign Press Association who cover entertainment for overseas outlets.

The Bigelow and Affleck films center on Americans, too, but they are international tales — "Zero Dark Thirty" chronicling the manhunt for Osama bin Laden and "Argo" recounting the rescue of six U.S. embassy workers trapped in Iran amid the 1979 hostage crisis.

Globe voters might want to make right on a snub to Bigelow three years ago, when they gave their best-drama and directing prize to ex-husband James Cameron's sci-fi blockbuster "Avatar" over her Iraq war tale "The Hurt Locker."

Bigelow made history a month later, becoming the first woman to win the directing Oscar for "The Hurt Locker," which also won best picture.

Globe voters like to be trend-setters, but they missed the boat on that one. Might they feel enough chagrin to hand Bigelow the directing trophy this time?

Spielberg already has won two best-director Globes, so that might be a further inducement for the foreign-press members to favor someone else this time.

Their votes were locked in before the Oscar nominations came out. Globe balloting closed Wednesday, the day before the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences announced its awards lineup.

The Globes feature two best-picture categories — one for drama and one for musical or comedy. Most of the Globe contenders also earned Oscar best-picture nominations, including all of the drama picks: "Argo," ''Lincoln," ''Life of Pi," ''Django Unchained" and "Zero Dark Thirty."

Yet only two of the Globe musical or comedy nominees — "Les Miserables" and "Silver Linings Playbook" — are in the running at the Oscars. That's not unusual, though, since Oscar voters tend to overlook comedy. The other Globe nominees for musical or comedy are "The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel," ''Moonrise Kingdom" and "Salmon Fishing in the Yemen."

Acting contenders include Daniel Day-Lewis, Sally Field and Tommy Lee Jones for "Lincoln"; Hugh Jackman and Anne Hathaway for "Les Miserables"; Joaquin Phoenix, Amy Adams and Philip Seymour Hoffman for "The Master"; Bradley Cooper and Lawrence for "Silver Linings Playbook"; Leonardo DiCaprio and Christoph Waltz for "Django Unchained"; Alan Arkin for "Argo"; and Jessica Chastain for "Zero Dark Thirty."

Globe acting recipients usually are a good sneak peek for who will win at the Oscars. All four of last season's Oscar winners — Meryl Streep for "The Iron Lady," Jean Dujardin for "The Artist," Octavia Spencer for "The Help" and Christopher Plummer for "Beginners" — took home a Globe first.

Jodie Foster will receive the Globes' Cecil B. DeMille Award for lifetime achievement at the 70th Globes ceremony, airing live from 8-11 p.m. EST on NBC.

There will be a friendly rivalry between the hosts of the Globe ceremony, Tina Fey and Amy Poehler. The co-stars of the 2008 big-screen comedy "Baby Mama" both are nominated for best actress in a TV comedy or musical series, Fey for "30 Rock" and Poehler for "Parks and Recreation."

The Globes present 14 film awards and 11 television prizes.

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