AFI Awards 2011: Bridesmaids, The Good Wife among Best in Film and TV

By Peggy Truong | December 12 2011 12:48 PM

Kristen
Kristen Wiig in Bridesmaids. The film is one of the 10 best pictures of the year, according to the American Film Institute. (PHOTO: Universal Pictures)

Kristen Wiig in "Bridesmaids." The film is one of the 10 best pictures of the year, according to the American Film Institute. (PHOTO: Universal Pictures)

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A Fem-Com led by Kristen Wiig and Julianna Margulies' legal drama are among the best of the year, according to the American Film Institute.

The AFI Awards, announced on Sunday, selected the 10 best films and 10 best TV shows, along with two special awards to The Artist and The Harry Potter series.

For the film awards, Bridesmaids, the comedic gem from Wiig and producer Judd Apatow, made the cut, as did Woody Allen's most successful box office hit, Midnight in Paris.

The Descendants, which has been giving George Clooney plenty of Oscar buzz, was also named as the year's best, along with two Brad Pitt pictures, Moneyball and The Tree of Life.

On the TV front, The Good Wife was only one of three non-cable shows on the list. Boardwalk Empire (HBO), Breaking Bad (AMC) and Justified (FX) are among AFI's best TV programs of 2011.

The AFI Awards are just the latest to tickle movie studios, actors and directors, as the industry anticipates the biggest in award season: namely the Oscars and Golden Globes.

Nominations for the 69th annual Golden Globe Awards will be announced on Dec. 15, while nominations for the 84th Academy Awards will be announced in late January.

The AFI Awards were selected by two juries and led by AFI board of trustees vice chairs Tom Pollock (movies), Richard Frank (TV), Whoopi Goldberg, critic and film historian Leonard Maltin, university professors and other AFI board members, according to The Hollywood Reporter.

The AFI is one of the most respected non-profit arts organizations in the country, backed by an established film school (with alumni Darren Aronofsky, David Lynch and others), film festivals and its Silver Theater and Cultural Center.

In June, Shirley MacLaine will be honored with an AFI Life Achievement Award, joining past recipients Morgan Freeman, Michael Douglas and Meryl Streep.

The AFI Awards ceremony will take place on Jan. 13 in Los Angeles.