theenvelope.latimes.com

SURPRISES………

Many expected silent film “The Artist” to be the top contender when nominations were announced Tuesday, but it was “Hugo,” Martin Scorsese’s 3-D family film, that earned the top spot with 11 nods. (“The Artist” earned 10.)
“Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close” was considered a long shot for the best picture category, but now it’s among the nine films up for the Oscars’ highest honor.
Rooney Mara earned a best actress nomination for her role in “The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo,” bumping Tilda Swinton (“We Need to Talk About Kevin”) out of the category.
Gary Oldman, fresh off a BAFTA nomination for “Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy,” earned his first ever Oscar nomination this year, beating out expected best actor nominee “Michael Fassbender” (“Shame”). Also left out of the category: Leonardo DiCaprio, for “J. Edgar.”
Another surprise appearance on the best actor list came from Demian Bichir, nominated for his role in “A Better Life.”
In the directing category, David Fincher did not get a nomination for “The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo.”
It was expected that George Clooney would earn a best actor nomination for “The Descendants,” but he’s also nominated in the adapted screenplay category, with Grant Heslov and Beau Willimon for “The Ides of March.”
Another “Descendants” star was not so lucky – Shailene Woodley earned critical praise (and a Golden Globe nomination) for her performance in the film, but that didn’t translate to an Oscar nod.
“Bridesmaids” didn’t make the best picture list, but the comedy still got love from Academy voters – a best supporting actress nod for Melissa McCarthy, and an original screenplay nomination for Kristin Wiig and Annie Mumolo.
Albert Brooks’ Oscar prospects took a hit when he didn’t receive a SAG nomination for his role in “Drive,” but many still expected to see his name in the supporting actor category this year. However, that wasn’t the case – he was replaced by Max von Sydow of “Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close.”
Iranian film “A Separation” was a shoo-in for the foreign-language film category, but it was also nominated for best original screenplay – the first time a foreign film has done so since 2007′s “The Diving Bell and the Butterfly.”
This was not a good year for Steven Spielberg – “War Horse” was nominated in the best picture category, but he was left off the best director list and his “The Adventures of Tintin” was not nominated for best animated film.
Ryan Gosling may be watching from home next month – despite earning praise for roles in “Drive” and “The Ides of March,” he did not receive any nominations.

Best Picture
“The Artist”
“The Descendants”
“Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close”
“Hugo”
“Midnight in Paris”
“The Help”
“Moneyball”
“War Horse”
“The Tree of Life”

Best Actor
Demian Bichir, “A Better Life”
George Clooney, “The Descendants”
Jean Dujardin, “The Artist”
Gary Oldman, “Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy”
Brad Pitt, “Moneyball”

Best Actress
Glenn Close, “Albert Nobbs”
Viola Davis, “The Help”
Rooney Mara, “The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo”
Meryl Streep, “The Iron Lady”
Michelle Williams, “My Week With Marilyn”

Best Supporting Actor
Kenneth Branagh, “My Week With Marilyn”
Jonah Hill, “Moneyball”
Nick Nolte, “Warrior”
Christopher Plummer, “Beginners”
Max Von Sydow, “Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close”

Best Supporting Actress
Berenice Bejo, “The Artist”
Jessica Chastain, “The Help”
Melissa McCarthy, “Bridesmaids”
Janet McTeer, “Albert Nobbs”
Octavia Spencer, “The Help”

Best Director
Woody Allen, “Midnight in Paris”
Michel Hazanavicius, “The Artist”
Terrence Malick, “The Tree of Life”
Alexander Payne, “The Descendants”
Martin Scorsese, “Hugo”

Best Original Screenplay
Woody Allen, “Midnight in Paris”
JC Chandor, “Margin Call”
Asghar Farhadi, “A Separation”
Michel Hazanavicius, “The Artist”
Kristen Wiig and Annie Mumolo, “Bridesmaids”

Continue reading →