79th Oscar Nominations Announced

And the Award could potentially go to...

79th Oscar Nominations Announced

by empire |
Published on

Let the speculation, betting and downright bribery begin! The nominees for the 79th annual Academy Awards have been announced by Salma Hayek (looking unfeasibly glamorous for 5.30am, LA time). And it’s a good year for Babel, which picked up five of the major nominations and seven nods in total. Dreamgirls was the most nominated film with eight nods, but three of those were for Songs, and only two were in the major categories. Closely behind that is The Queen with six nominations, four in the major categories, while **The Departed **and Blood Diamond scored five each.

Little Miss Sunshine, an outsider-turned-favourite after its PGA win last weekend, picked up four nominations, all in the major categories, while Letters From Iwo Jima also took four spots, three of which are in the majors. Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest also had four, all in the technical categories, and picking up three nominations were Little Children, Apocalypto, **United 93 **and Children of Men. Cars, The Prestige and An Inconvenient Truth all picked up two.

There were some surprises here. Dreamgirls didn't get the Best Picture or Best Director nod that people were expecting, while Little Children, which was well reviewed but hardly anyone saw, did better than expected. The strong performance of Little Miss Sunshine is less of a surprise, as that's been picking up momentum in recent weeks, culminating in its triumph at the Producers Guild last weekend. It's good to see Paul Greengrass get a nod for the searing United 93, although it does highlight an odd disparity between the Best Director and Best Picture categories.

The acting categories are more as expected. It's good to see two acting nods for Babel, and Mark Wahlberg finally getting some love for his smart, funny turn in The Departed. And Penelope Cruz is recognised for her role in Volver and Eddie Murphy up for Dreamgirls, so all's right in the world.

Overall, however, it's anybody's year. The Best Picture race remains wide open, and even likely shoo-ins Helen Mirren and Forest Whittaker face some stiff competition in the lead Acting categories. This year, more than most, is going to be an interesting race.

The ceremony will take place on February 25 at the Kodak Theatre in Hollywood. Check Empire Online between now and then for the very best in Oscar speculation, predictions and discussion.

The Full List Of Nominations:

Best Picture

Babel

The Departed

Letters From Iwo Jima

Little Miss Sunshine

The Queen

Best Supporting Actress

Rinko Kikuchi - Babel

Cate Blanchett – Notes on a Scandal

Abigail Breslin – Little Miss Sunshine

Jennifer Hudson – Dreamgirls

Adriana Barraza - Babel

Best Supporting Actor

Alan Arkin – Little Miss Sunshine

Jackie Earle Haley - Little Children

Djimon Hounsou – Blood Diamond

Eddie Murphy – Dreamgirls

Mark Wahlberg – The Departed

Best Actress

Penelope Cruz – Volver

Judi Dench – Notes on a Scandal

Helen Mirren – The Queen

Meryl Streep – The Devil Wears Prada

Kate Winslet – Little Children

Best Actor

Leonardo DiCaprio – Blood Diamond

Ryan Gosling – Half Nelson

Peter O’Toole – Venus

Will Smith – The Pursuit of Happyness

Forest Whitaker – Last King of Scotland

Best Director

Alejandro González Iñárritu – Babel

Martin Scorsese – The Departed

Clint Eastwood – Letters From Iwo jima

Stephen Frears - The Queen

Paul Greengrass – United 93

Best Original Screenplay

Babel

Letters From Iwo Jima

Little Miss Sunshine

Pan’s Labyrinth

The Queen

Best Adapted Screenplay

Borat

Children of Men

The Departed

Little Children

Notes on a Scandal

Best Animated Film

Cars

Happy Feet

Monster House

Achievement In Cinematography

The Black Dahlia

Children Of Men

The Illusionist

Pan's Labyrinth

The Prestige

Achievement In Costume Design

Curse Of The Golden Flower

The Devil Wears Prada

Dreamgirls

Marie Antoinette

The Queen

Best Documentary Feature

Deliver Us From Evil

An Inconvenient Truth

Iraq In Fragments

Jesus Camp

My Country, My Country

Best Documentary Short Subject

The Blood Of Yingzhou District

Recycled Life

Rehearsing A Dream

Two Hands

Achievement In Art Direction

Dreamgirls

The Good Shepherd

Pan's Labyrinth

Pirates Of The Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest

The Prestige

Achievement In Film Editing

Babel

Blood Diamond

Children Of Men

The Departed

United 93

Best Foreign Language Film Of The Year

After The Wedding

Days Of Glory (Indigènes)

The Lives Of Others

Pan's Labyrinth

Water

Achievement In Makeup

Apocalypto

Click

Pan's Labyrinth

Achievement In Music Written For Motion Pictures (Original Score)

Babel

The Good German

Notes On A Scandal

Pan's Labyrinth

The Queen

Achievement In Music Written For Motion Pictures (Original Song)

"I Need To Wake Up" - An Inconvenient Truth

"Listen" - Dreamgirls

"Love You I Do" - Dreamgirls

"Our Town" - Cars

"Patience" - Dreamgirls

Best Animated Short Film

The Danish Poet

Lifted

The Little Matchgirl

Maestro

No Time For Nuts

Best Live Action Short Film

Binta And The Great Idea (Binta Y La Gran Idea)

Éramos Pocos (One Too Many)

Helmer & Son

The Saviour

West Bank Story

Achievement In Sound Editing

Apocalypto

Blood Diamond

Flags Of Our Fathers

Letters From Iwo Jima

Pirates Of The Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest

Achievement In Sound Mixing

Apocalypto

Blood Diamond

Dreamgirls

Flags Of Our Fathers

Pirates Of The Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest

Achievement In Visual Effects

Pirates Of The Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest

Poseidon

Superman Returns

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