ARGO, LINCOLN Top CRITICS CHOICE MOVIE AWARDS; Winners Announced!

The Broadcast Film Critics Association (BFCA) announced the winners of the 18th annual Critics' Choice Movie Awards last night. Hosted by KTLA anchor Sam Rubin, the ceremony aired live on The CW for the first time, from the Barker Hangar in Santa Monica, with "Argo" taking home the prize for Best Picture, and Ben Affleck winning the award for best director for the film.

Other big winners of the night included: Daniel Day-Lewis winning the Best Actor trophy for his performance in "Lincoln," Jessica Chastain awarded Best Actress for her role in "Zero Dark Thirty," Jennifer Lawrence receiving both Best Actress in a Comedy and Best Actress in an Action Movie, and Quvenzhane Wallis winning as Best Young Actress for her breakout performance in "Beasts of the Southern Wild."

Writer-producer-director Judd Apatow received the "Critics' Choice Louis XIII Genius Award," presented to him by Rebel Wilson. The award was created to honor "an unprecedented demonstration of excellence in the cinematic arts."

Movie fans also voted for Twilight as their favorite film franchise, in the first ever fan-voted award in the history of the Critics' Choice Movie Awards. The other nominees included: Batman, Harry Potter, Indiana Jones, James Bond/007, Lord of the Rings, Spider-Man, Star Trek, Star Wars, and Toy Story.

Nominees in attendance included: Amy Adams; Ben Affleck; Christian Bale; Kathryn Bigelow; Jack Black; Emily Blunt; Gina Carano; Jessica Chastain; George Clooney; Bradley Cooper; Marion Cotillard; Daniel Day-Lewis; Robert De Niro; Ann Dowd; Elle Fanning; Sally Field; John Goodman; Joseph Gordon-Levitt; Anne Hathaway; John Hawkes; Kara Hayward; Tom Holland; Tom Hooper; Helen Hunt; Hugh Jackman; Tommy Lee Jones; Jennifer Lawrence; Ang Lee; Leslie Mann; Matthew McConaughey; Joaquin Phoenix; David O. Russell; Amanda Seyfried; Suraj Sharma; Steven Spielberg; Omar Sy; Chris Tucker; Quvenzhane Wallis; Naomi Watts; Jacki Weaver; and Rebel Wilson.

Presenters at the gala included: THE Vampire Diaries stars Nina Dobrev, Ian Somerhalder and Paul Wesley; star of Hart Of Dixie Jaime King; Henry Cavill; Joseph Gordon-Levitt; Famke Janssen; Melissa Leo; Ray Liotta; Eva Longoria; Matthew McConaughey; Cory Monteith; Rob Riggle; Emmy Rossum and Octavia Spencer.

The Critics' Choice Movie Awards are bestowed annually by the BFCA to honor the finest in cinematic achievement. The BFCA is the largest film critics organization in the United States and Canada, representing more than 270 television, radio and online critics. BFCA members are the primary source of information for today's film going public. Eligible films were released in 2012. The accounting firm of CMM, LLP tallied the written ballots.

Since its inception in 1995, the Critics' Choice Movie Awards has been a star-studded bellwether event of the movie awards season. Historically, the Critics' Choice Movie Awards are the most accurate predictor of the Academy Award nominations. 28 of 34 of this year's Academy Award nominees for Best Picture, Director, Actor, Actress, Supporting Actor and Supporting Actress were also Critics' Choice Movie Award nominees.

The 18th annual Critics' Choice Movie Awards are produced by Bob Bain Productions and Berlin Entertainment. The BFCA and Berlin Entertainment are represented by Dan Black of Greenberg Traurig and Lance Klein of WME. The Critics' Choice Movie Awards are generously sponsored by Virb, Clear, Skinnygirl Cocktails, Evian and Champagne Nicolas Feuillatte.

About The Broadcast Film Critics Association:

The Broadcast Film Critics Association (BFCA) is the largest film critics organization in the United States and Canada, representing more than 270 television, radio and online critics. BFCA members are the primary source of information for today's film going public. The very first opinion a moviegoer hears about new releases at the multiplex or the art house usually comes from one of its members. For additional information about the BFCA and its membership, visit its website at www.criticschoice.com.

About The CW

THE CW TELEVISION NETWORK, a joint venture between Warner Bros. Entertainment and CBS Corporation, made its debut on September 20, 2006 as America's fifth broadcast network and is the only network specifically targeting viewers ages 18-34, particularly women, a demographic highly sought after by advertisers. Delivering a total of 30 hours of programming a week, The CW offers a five-night, 10-hour primetime lineup that runs Monday through Friday. In daytime, The CW broadcasts a Monday through Friday afternoon block, and a five-hour Saturday morning block.

WINNERS OF THE 18TH ANNUAL CRITICS' CHOICE MOVIE AWARDS

Best Picture - Argo

Best Actor - Daniel Day-Lewis

Best Actress - Jessica Chastain

Best Supporting Actor - Philip Seymour Hoffman

Best Supporting Actress - Anne Hathaway

Best Young Actor/Actress - Quvenzhane Wallis

Best Acting Ensemble - Silver Linings Playbook

Best Director - Ben Affleck

Best Original Screenplay - Quentin Tarantino

Best Adapted Screenplay - Tony Kushner

Best Cinematography - Claudio Miranda (Life of Pi)

Best Art Direction - Sarah Greenwood/Katie Spencer (Anna Karenina)

Best Editing - William Goldenberg/Dylan Tichenor (Zero Dark Thirty)

Best Costume Design - Jacqueline Durran (Anna Karenina)

Best Makeup - Cloud Atlas

Best Visual Effects - Life of Pi

Best Animated Feature - Wreck-It Ralph

Best Action Movie - Skyfall

Best Actor in an Action Movie - Daniel Craig

Best Actress in an Action Movie - Jennifer Lawrence

Best Comedy - Silver Linings Playbook

Best Actor in a Comedy - Bradley Cooper

Best Actress in a Comedy - Jennifer Lawrence

Best Sci-Fi/Horror Movie - Looper

Best Foreign Language Film - Amour

Best Documentary Feature - Searching for Sugarman

Best Song - Skyfall

Best Score - John Williams