There's a lot going on in the world, but we all know it stops turning for just a tiny moment when those all-important Oscar nominations come out! Here is a small sampling of reactions to the nominees from all over the globe:
TUNISIA
"We are tentatively attempting to rebuild our government after an outbreak of crippling violence that resulted from anger over deeply entrenched corruption; anger which still lingers and may have also influenced the recent uprisings in Egypt. Therefore, you cannot imagine our relief upon hearing that Colin Firth was not overlooked by the Academy for his bravura performance in The King's Speech." -- Acting Premier Mohamed Ghannouchi
CHINA
"My visit to America brought with it stern warnings from President Obama about the U.S. redeploying troops in Asia if I do not ramp up the pressure on North Korea. What Mr. Obama needs to know is that I will only honor this agreement if Winter's Bone wins Best Picture." -- Hu Jintao, President.
SOUTHERN SUDAN
"Black Swan is our pick for Best Picture. In our recent referendum, the people of Southern Sudan voted in large numbers to become independent from the north. We will face many, many challenges after decades of war, poverty and neglect in our region. Thankfully, we were recently able to view pirated copies of Black Swan, which showed us that things could always be worse. -- W.O. Ariec, Referendum Commission Official.
IRAN
"The U.S. and Iran have a long history of disagreement, with much tension simmering underneath the surface. But this tension is nothing compared to what the members of the Academy will experience when deciding whether or not to give The Social Network Best Screenplay -- Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, President.
ICELAND
"Our country has twice been ranked first on the United Nations Human Development Index, and our health care and education are among the world's finest, hence we are not as intrinsically unhappy as Americans, and do not need show business to fill an empty void in our lives. That being said, if Christopher Nolan does not win Best Director, I will kill myself." -- Gunnlauger Paullson, Reykjavik
LOWELL, MASSACHUSETTS
"If The f**king Fighter don't win some f**king thing we're gonna drive out to f**king Hollywood and f**king teach all those bastids how to do a f**king Lowell, Mass. accent that don't sound like all you did was copy whatever the f**k f**king Marky Mark was doing." -- Susan "Bomber" Fields, Lowell resident.
James Napoli is an author and humorist. More of his comedy content for the Web can be seen here.