Despite a strong breakthrough performance in the romantic comedy drama "Winter's Bone," Louisville's Jennifer Lawrence lost out on the Oscar for Best Actress to Natalie Portman for her role in "Black Swan." To answer the all-important Louisville question: Lawrence didn't go to high school here; she attended Kammerer Middle School but left the city for New York at 14 years old to begin her acting career (but it would've been Ballard High School if she'd stuck around).

For more on Lawrence, check out Louisville Magazine's Josh Moss's feature article on and interview with the actress from the December 2010 issue.

In addition to Portman and the 20-year-old Lawrence, the other Academy Award nominees for best actress included two previous nominees and one actress who I had to Google (I haven't seen a film in the theater since "Milk"):

• Annette Bening in "The Kids Are All Right"
• Nicole Kidman in "Rabbit Hole"
• Michelle Williams in "Blue Valentine"

According to the often unreliable Examiner.com (I used to write for it), Lawrance was wearing a red Calvin Klein dress. Lots of people on the Internet said she looked hot in it.

Lawrence is set to appear in theaters this summer in "X-Men: First Class," a prequel to the popular series.

Photo: Courtesy Roadside Attractions