The Oscar nomination announcement rivals the greatest minute in sports.

In less time to load Kentucky Derby contenders into the gates, Emma Stone and Seth MacFarlane raced through the main categories -- with only one reference to the liquid courage required to get up so dang early.

Some of the biggest surprises include three noms for Beasts of the Southern Wild, Lincoln with 12 nods and while Argo snagged a Best Picture nomination, Ben Affleck missed out in the Best Director category.

The full list of nominations includes nine contenders for Best Picture and in the Best Actress category boasts quite the age gap: both the oldest nominee, Emmanuelle Riva for "Amour" and Quvenzhané Wallis for "Beasts of the Southern Wild" as the youngest.

This is the first time an Oscars host showed up for the announcements since Charlton Heston in 1972. Seth MacFarlane's appearance this morning likely had him ordering a Venti, but he did suggest a dose of liquid courage helped his sleep deprivation. When asked by the E Online what time MacFarlane's alarm rang, the Oscars host said he never went to bed, rather "stared at the ceiling, contemplating my life."