The 84th Annual Academy Award nominations were announced Tuesday morning with some surprising nominees – but not all of this year’s favorite big screen performances and films were honored with a nomination.
Martin Scorsese’s “Hugo” surprising led the nominations with 11, edging out silent film “The Artist” for most nods, which earned an equally impressive 10 nominations.
Demian Bichir, who might be best known for his role on Showtime’s “Weeds” where he played the father Mary-Louise Parker’s baby, is up against Hollywood heavyweights like Brad Pitt and George Clooney in the Best Actor race for his work in “A Better Life.”
Another surprise was the love the Academy gave “Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close” — Tom Hanks and Sandra Bullock’s post 9/11 drama, which has polarized audiences and critics. The movie scored a Best Picture nomination and a Best Supporting Actor nod for Max von Sydow.
“Bridesmaids” star Melissa McCarthy was a nice surprise nomination in the Best Supporting Actress category for her hilarious performance in the breakout comedy. Co-star Kristen Wiig and writer Annie Mumolo also earned a nomination for Best Original Screenplay for raucous box office hit.
And then there are the stars whose phones did not ring with good news this morning.
Despite his powerful performance – and nod of approval from George Clooney at the Golden Globes – Michael Fassbender was shut out for his role in “Shame.”
Ryan Gosling who went into award season with major buzz for three films – “Drive,” “The Ides of March,” and “Crazy Stupid Love” was also snubbed.
Other acting snubs included Leonardo DiCaprio for “J. Edgar,” Albert Brooks for “Drive,” Tilda Swinton in “We Need To Talk About Kevin,” Charlize Theron for “Young Adult,” and young star Shailene Woodley, who many thought would earn a nomination for her work as George Clooney’s daughter in “The Descendants.”
The snubs continued with Steven Spielberg who failed to earn a Best Director nomination, even though “War Horse” was honored with a nod for Best Picture. The Hollywood veteran did earn a nod for producing “War Horse.”
A surprise snub came in the Best Animated Feature category for “The Adventures of Tintin,” which took home the Golden Globe in the same category, but failed to get any Oscar love.
And there won’t be any musical catfights on Oscar night between Elton John and Madonna (or Elton’s partner David Furnish), who were shut out of the Best Song category.
For a complete list of this year’s nominees, CLICK HERE!
Find out who will take home Oscar gold on February 26, with host Billy Crystal, live on ABC at 7 PM ET/4 PM PT.
-By Jesse Spero
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