Depp, Hoffman, Linney, Ryan, et al. Receive Academy Award Nominations

Nominations for the 80th Annual Academy Awards, to be bestowed live on February 24 in California, were announced this morning. No Country for Old Men led the pack with eight nominations, including Best Director and Best Adapted Screenplay nods for Joel and Ethan Coen, while There Will Be Blood also picked up eight nominations, including Best Picture, Best Director and Adapted Screenplay for Paul Thomas Anderson, and Best Actor for Daniel Day-Lewis, who is considered the front-runner.

Other Best Picture nominees are Atonement, Michael Clayton, and Juno, all of which received multiple nominations. Julian Schnabel received a Best Director nod for The Diving Bell and the Butterfly, along with Tony Gilroy (Michael Clayton) and Jason Reitman (Juno).

This year’s movie musicals didn’t fare as well as expected, although Johnny Depp received a Best Actor nomination for Sweeney Todd, which also picked up nods for Costume Design and Art Direction. Walt Disney’s Enchanted picked up three Best Song nods for “Happy Working Song,” “So Close” and “That’s How You Know,” all written by former winners Alan Menken and Stephen Schwartz, but no acting nominations. Once picked up a Best Song nod for “Falling Slowly.” Julie Taymor’s Across the Universe was recognized only for Costume Design. Hairspray was surprisingly shut out in all categories.

On the acting side, former winner Cate Blanchett received nominations for Best Actress for Elizabeth: The Golden Age and Best Supporting Actress for I’m Not There. Broadway veterans earning nods include Julie Christie (Away from Her), Ruby Dee (American Gangster), Philip Seymour Hoffman (Charlie Wilson’s War), Hal Holbrook (Into the Wild), Tommy Lee Jones (In the Valley of Elah), Laura Linney (The Savages), and Amy Ryan (Gone Baby Gone).

The popular animated film Ratatouille got four nods, including Best Animated Film and Best Original Screenplay; while La Vie En Rose, the French biopic of singer Edith Piaf, received nominations for Best Actress Marion Cottilard, as well as Costume Design and Makeup.

For a complete list of nominees, visit www.oscar.com.