Houma girl Quvenzhane Wallis didn't collect a little gold statue last night, but she still earned the distinction of being the youngest Oscar nominee for "Best Actress." Check out the Beasts of the Southern Wild star on the red carpet poking fun at Piers Morgan, showing the world her "loser face," and more.  

Houma native and Beasts of the Southern Wild starlet Quvenzhane Wallis has been cast as Annie in the latest production of the classic play. Tonight, nine-year-old Wallis is in the audience of the Academy Awards, anxiously awaiting the result of her Oscar nomination for “Best Actress.” Tomorrow, she begins preparing for one of the most coveted roles among child actresses.

This week's news about Beasts of the Southern Wild’s four Oscar nominations hasn’t altered much for the Bayou-set film's director, Benh Zeitlin. A native of New York City, the director became enamored with New Orleans and South Louisiana after moving here in his mid 20s. However, Zeitlin says it’ll take a lot more than a couple gold statues to tear him away from the Crescent City. 

Beasts of the Southern Wild director and New Orleans resident Benh Zeitlin has swept the independent awards circuit, but today’s news about the film’s Oscar nominations bumps Zeitlin and his cast into a new category. The Academy seems to have been as impressed as Sundance and Cannes, and Beasts and the movie's cast are up for a number of statues, including Best Picture.