(CNS)
Posted Tuesday January 24, 2012– 10:00am
Two homages to film making -- one in 3-D and vivid
color, the other silent and black and white -- garnered the lion's share of
nominations today for the 84th Annual Academy Awards.
Martin Scorsese's "Hugo" earned 11 nominations, including best
picture, narrowly besting "The Artist," which was nominated in 10 categories
for its black-and-white portrayal of the golden age of Hollywood.
"The Artist" also landed a best picture nomination and is a favorite
in the category after taking home the top honor from the Producers Guild of
America on Saturday. The film also won a Golden Globe Award last week.
Other films up for best picture include Steven Spielberg's "War Horse,"
Alexander Payne's "The Descendants," Terrence Malick's "The Tree of Life,"
Woody Allen's "Midnight in Paris," the civil-rights drama "The Help," the
post-9/11 family drama "Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close," and
"Moneyball," about the successful effort of Oakland A's manager Billy Beane
to put together a team with the help of computer-generated analysis.
"The Artist" would be the first silent film to win best picture in more
than 80 years since the Academy named "Wings," a story of World War I fighter
pilots, its first best picture in 1927.
The nominees for the 84th Academy Awards were announced in Beverly Hills
by Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences President Tom Sherak and 2010
Oscar nominee Jennifer Lawrence. Nearly 5,800 votes were cast and tallied by
PricewaterhouseCoopers.
"Nine movies got enough votes to qualify for best movie nominee. That
makes for a horse race," Sherak said. "I thin that's a really good thing
going into the show."
"Hugo" earned Martin Scorsese a best director nomination, as well as nods
for adapted screenplay, score editing and a host of other production
categories, including art direction, cinematography, and visual effects.
Actor Jean Dujardin and actress Berenice Bejo earned nominations for best
leading actor and actress in a supporting role for their work in "The
Artist." The film also earned a best director's nomination for Michel
Hazanavicius and nominations for best original score and original screenplay.
Golden Globe winner George Clooney garnered a best-actor nomination for
"The Descendants." The other nominees were Demian Bichir for "A Better
Life," Jean Dujardin for "The Artist," Gary Oldman for "Tinker Tailor
Soldier Spy," and Brad Pitt for "Money Ball."
Michelle Williams is an early favorite for a best actress Oscar for her
portrayal of screen legend Marilyn Monroe in "My Week with Marilyn." Viola
Davis was also nominated for her role as a maid in "The Help," Rooney Mara
for "The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo," Glenn Close for her gender-bending
role in "Albert Nobbs" and Meryl Streep for her turn as Margaret Thatcher in
"The Iron Lady."
For Streep, who has won two Oscars, today's nomination was the 17th -- a
record.
In the best supporting actress category, the nominees were Berenice Bejo
for"The Artist," Jessica Chastain for "The Help," Melissa McCarthy for
"Bridesmaids," Janet McTeer for "Albert Nobbs" and Octavia Spencer for
"The Help."
The nominees for best supporting actor were Kenneth Branagh for "My
Week with Marilyn," Jonah Hill for "Money Ball," Nick Nolte for "Warrior,"
Christopher Plummer for "Beginners" and Max von Sydow for "Extremely Loud
and Incredibly Close."
The early favorites to win best supporting actors Oscars are Spencer and
Plummer.
The Academy Awards ceremony is scheduled for Feb. 26 at the Kodak
Theatre in Hollywood.
Copyright
© 2012 City News Service
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