BEVERLY HILLS, Calif. — With a cloud of uncertainty as a backdrop, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences announced its list of Oscar nominations Tuesday morning. But the questions remains — will any stars will be around to join the party?
"No Country For Old Men" and "There Will Be Blood" each picked up eight nominations to lead the field in a year in which no clear frontrunner has emerged. "Atonement" and "Michael Clayton" followed closely behind, with each film garnering seven nods.
"No Country For Old Men," an adaptation of Cormac McCarthy's fierce novel about the truth and consequences of crime, received nominations for best picture, supporting actor (Javier Bardem), writing and directing nods for Joel and Ethan Coen, and several technical awards.
"There Will Be Blood" garnered nominations for best picture, actor (Daniel Day-Lewis) and for Paul Thomas Anderson's direction and adapted screenplay of the Sinclair Lewis novel "Oil!"
"No Country For Old Men" and "There Will Be Blood" will compete for best picture against the melancholy romance "Atonement," the teen-pregnancy comedy "Juno" and the legal drama "Michael Clayton."
In the top acting categories, previous Oscar winner Cate Blanchett received two nominations — a best actress nod for her performance in "Elizabeth: The Golden Age," and a supporting actress nomination for the Bob Dylan tale "I'm Not There."
Competing against Blanchett for best actress will be Laury Linney for "The Savages," Julie Christie for "Away From Her," Marion Cotillard for "La Vie En Rose," and newcomer Ellen Page for "Juno."
In addition to Daniel Day-Lewis, the nods for best actor include George Clooney for "Michael Clayton," Johnny Depp for "Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street," Tommy Lee Jones for "In the Valley of Elah," and Viggo Mortensen for "Eastern Promises."
With the ongoing Hollywood writers' strike threatening to keep stars away from the biggest awards show of the year, Tuesday's announcement did not have the same level of excitement in the air as year's past. Everyone is hoping that the Oscars do not follow the same path as the recent Golden Globes, which replaced a glittery ceremony with a brief press conference to announce the results.
This year's Oscar ceremony will most likely depend on the bargaining table as Hollywood writers and studio heads and producers seek to resolve the Writers Guild strike that began Nov. 5, crippling the industry.
Should the show go on, the 80th Annual Academy Awards ceremony will air live from Hollywood's Kodak Theatre on ABC on Sunday, February 24.
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80th Annual Academy Award Nominees
Best Picture
Atonement
Juno
Michael Clayton
No Country for Old Men
There Will Be Blood
Best Actor
George Clooney, Michael Clayton
Daniel Day-Lewis, There Will Be Blood
Johnny Depp, Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street
Tommy Lee Jones, In the Valley of Elah
Viggo Mortensen, Eastern Promises
Best Actress
Cate Blanchett, Elizabeth: The Golden Age
Julie Christie, Away from Her
Marion Cotillard, La Vie en Rose
Laura Linney, The Savages
Ellen Page, Juno
Best Supporting Actor
Casey Affleck, The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford
Javier Bardem, No Country for Old Men
Hal Holbrook, Into the Wild
Philip Seymour Hoffman, Charlie Wilson's War
Tom Wilkinson, Michael Clayton
Best Supporting Actress
Cate Blanchett, I'm Not There
Ruby Dee, American Gangster
Saoirse Ronan, Atonement
Amy Ryan, Gone Baby Gone
Tilda Swinton, Michael Clayton
Best Director
Julian Schnabel, The Diving Bell and the Butterfly
Jason Reitman, Juno
Tony Gilroy, Michael Clayton
Joel Coen and Ethan Coen, No Country for Old Men
Paul Thomas Anderson, There Will Be Blood
Best Original Screenplay
Diablo Cody, Juno
Nancy Oliver, Lars and the Real Girl
Tony Gilroy, Michael Clayton
Ratatouille (written by Brad Bird; story by Jan Pinkava, Jim Capobianco, Brad Bird)
Tamara Jenkins, The Savages
Best Adapted Screenplay
Christopher Hampton, Atonement
Sarah Polley, Away from Her
Ronald Harwood, The Diving Bell and the Butterfly
Joel Coen and Ethan Coen, No Country for Old Men
Paul Thomas Anderson, There Will Be Blood
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