The nominees for the 80th Annual Academy Awards were announced this morning. The big question, though, is whether the Oscars broadcast will happen at all. It’s slated for Feb. 24, which is, like, 5 minutes from now in writers’ strike years. And the stakes are very high. As Lynette Rice of Entertainment Weekly puts it, “If putting the kibosh on the Globes put the hurt on NBC and made the world pay attention to the strike, imagine what stopping the 80th Annual Academy Awards would do?”
I hope they find a way for the show to go on. Meanwhile, here are the Best Picture nominees:
Atonement
Juno
Michael Clayton
No Country for Old Men
There Will Be Blood
That’s right, Juno! Woo hoo! I still haven’t seen Atonement. I liked Michael Clayton well enough, but not more than Juno. And I won’t be seeing those last two very male-oriented films. So, yay, Juno!
Several other AfterEllen.com favorites nabbed some nods. Here are the actress categories:
BEST ACTRESS:
Cate Blanchett in Elizabeth: The Golden Age
Julie Christie in Away From Her
Marion Cotillard in La Vie en Rose
Laura Linney in The Savages
Ellen Page in Juno
BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS:
Cate Blanchett in I’m Not There
Ruby Dee in American Gangster
Saoirse Ronan in Atonement
Amy Ryan in Gone Baby Gone
Tilda Swinton in Michael Clayton
That’s two, two chances for Cate Blanchett, one in drag and one as a queen. And nobody deserves it more. But, hey, Ellen Page! I wonder how it feels to be nominated at age 20 alongside a great like Julie Christie?
I almost don’t care who wins those categories because all the nominees are so great — and even many of the roles are great for a change. (Except I’m not that fond of La Vie en Rose. There, I’ve said it. Yes, I’m a monster.)
I’m especially glad for Tilda Swinton, because her performance in Michael Clayton is fearless in all the best ways.
The Original Screenplay category boasts three female nominees this year:
Diablo Cody, Juno
Nancy Oliver, Lars and the Real Girl
Tony Gilroy, Michael Clayton
Brad Bird, Ratatouille
Tamara Jenkins, The Savages
(Nancy Oliver trips my gaydar, BTW … anybody know more about her?)
And in the Adapted Screenplay category, Sarah Polley was nominated for Away From Her. Yes.
Other highlights: Persepolis was nominated for Best Animated Feature Film. Across the Universe got a nod for Costume Design. And Freeheld, about a police officer’s fight to leave her pension to her female partner, was nominated for Best Documentary Short Subject. (Check back tomorrow for an article about Freeheld.)
Read the full list of nominations here. And tune in for, er, something on Feb. 24; possibly just another lame-o press conference.
