Oscar Nominees for 2007 Films

In a year when the writers' strike is giving every award show a run for its money, the Golden Globes were taped and broadcast like a telemarketing show, we have the 80th Academy Award ceremony. I was there to witness the Golden Globe ceremony on TV. The hosts, Billy Bush and Nancy O'Dell were announcing nominees and winners like they were reading off lottery numbers. Many sources have proclaimed that the strike will not effect this year's show. Among these souces is Oscar telecast producer, Gil Cates.

Gil Cates has stated that this year's Academy Award ceremony will go on, with or without the actors or the writers. My first reaction was a skeptical question of whether or not he plans to fill seats by pulling people in off the street. Not only are writers involved in this strike, but actors are joining in to support them. This creates a lot of mystery behind this year's show. Many people think that the writers strike will eventually ruin Cates's plans for the show if it continues. We may in fact watch the Oscars in the same way we watched the Globes. However, Gil Cates is sticking to his guns. "I don't want to say 'read my lips' but it's not going to be cancelled, " said Cates.

Even two-time Oscar winner, Tom Hanks spoke out earlier this month, stating that "the show must go on". Whether or not they will roll out the red carpet for all of the beautiful and glamorous celebrities in their limousines will be in question until February 24th, 2008. But the Academy Award nominees have been announced.

The stage was lit up. The room was quiet. Sid Ganis, the President of the Academy walked out to the podium and summoned Kathy Bates onto the stage.

Ganis and Bates first announced the nominees for Best Actor and Best Actress in a Supporting Role. Ganis named off the Best Supporting Actresses; Cate Blanchett's role of Jude Quinn in I'm Not There, Ruby Dee's role of Mama Lucas in American Gangster, Saoirse Ronan's role as the 13-year-old Briony in Atonement, Amy Ryan as Helene McCready in Gone Baby Gone, and Tilda Swinton as Karen Crowder in Michael Clayton. They roles shifted and Bates started to annouce the nominees for Best Actor in a Supporting Role. The first was Casey Affleck as Robert Ford in The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford, Javier Bardem as Anton Chigurh in No Country for Old Men, Philip Seymour Hoffman as Gust Avrakotos in Charlie Wilson's War, Hal Holbrook for his role as Ron Franz in Into the Wild, and Tom Wilkinson as Arthur Edens in Michael Clayton.

Next, Ganis and Bates announced the nominees for Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role. Ganis started off with Cate Blanchett as Queen Elizabeth in Elizabeth: The Golden Age, Julie Christie as Fiona Anderson in Away From Her, Marion Cotillard as Edith Piaf in La Vie En Rose, Laura Linney as Wendy Savage in The Savages, and Ellen Page as Juno MacGuff in Juno. The announcement for Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role shifted onto Kathy Bates's shoulders. She read off the actors nominated; George Clooney as Michael Clayton in Michael Clayton, Daniel Day-Lewis as Daniel Plainview in There Will Be Blood, Johnny Depp as Sweeney Todd in Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street, Tommy Lee Jones as Hank Deerfield in The Valley of Elah and Viggo Mortensen as Nikolai in Eastern Promises.

Ganis announced the nominees for Best Achievement in Directing next. First was the director of The Diving Bell and The Butterfly, Julian Schnabel. Jason Reitman for Juno was listed next. Then came Tony Gilroy for Michael Clayton, Joel Coen and Ethan Coen for No Country for Old Men, and finally, Paul Thomas Anderson for There Will Be Blood.

Kathy Bates began reading off the nominees for Best Original Screenplay. And the nominees are Diablo Cody for Juno, Nancy Oliver for Lars and The Real Girl, Tony Gilroy for Michael Clayton, Brad Bird, Jan Pinkava and Jim Capobianco for Ratatouille, and Tamara Jenkins for The Savages. Ganis quickly began to announce the nominees for Best Adapted Screenplay. And the nominees are Christopher Hampton for Atonement, Sarah Polley for Away From Her, Ronald Harwood for The Diving Bell and The Butterfly, Joel Coen and Ethan Coen for No Country for Old Men, and Paul Thomas Anderson for There Will Be Blood.

For Best Foreign Language Film, Kathy Bates announced the nominees and they are Israel's Beaufort, Austria's The Counterfeiters, Poland's Katyn, Kasakstan's Mongol, and Russia's 12. The Best Animated Feature Film nominees were read off by Ganis. The nominees are Persepolis, Ratatouille, and Surf's Up.

Finally Kathy Bates came to the Best Picture nominees. They are Atonement, Juno, Michael Clayton, No Country for Old Men, and There Will Be Blood.

Here is the complete list of nominees

Best Actor in a Leading Role

George Clooney for Michael Clayton
Daniel Day-Lewis for There Will Be Blood
Johnny Depp for Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street
Tommy Lee Jones for In The Valley of Elah
Viggo Mortensen for Eastern Promises

Best Actor in a Supporting Role

Casey Affleck for The Assassination of Jesse James by The Coward Robert Ford
Javier Bardem for No Country for Old Men
Hal Holbrook for Into The Wild
Philip Seymour Hoffman for Charlie Wilson's War
Tom Wilkinson for Michael Clayton

Best Actress in a Leading Role

Cate Blanchett for Elizabeth: The Golden Age
Julie Christie for Away From Her
Marion Cotillard for La Vie En Rose
Laura Linney for The Savages
Ellen Page for Juno

Best Actress in a Supporting Role

Cate Blanchett for I'm Not There
Ruby Dee for American Gangster
Saoirse Ronan for Atonement
Amy Ryan for Gone Baby Gone
Tilda Swinton for Michael Clayton

Best Animated Feature Film

Ratatouille
Persepolis
Surf's Up

Best Art Direction

American Gangster
Atonement
The Golden Compass

Cinematography

The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford
Atonement
No Country for Old Men
There Will Be Blood

Best Costume Design

Across the Universe
Atonement
Elizabeth: The Golden Age

Best Director

Julian Schnabel for The Diving Bell and The Butterfly
Jason Reitman for Juno
Tony Gilroy for Michael Clayton
Joel Coen and Ethan Coen for No Country for Old Men
Paul Thomas Anderson for There Will Be Blood

Best Documentary Feature

No End in Sight
Operation Homecoming: Writing the Wartime Experience
Sicko
Taxi to The Dark Side
War/Dance

Best Documentary Short Film

Freeheld
La Corona (The Crown)
Salim Baba
Sari's Mother

Best Film Editing

The Bourne Ultimatum
The Diving Bell and The Butterfly
Into The Wild
No Country for Old Men
There Will Be Blood

Best Foreign Language Film

Beaufort
The Counterfeiters
Katyn
Mongol
12

Best Makeup

La Vie En Rose
Norbit
Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End

Best Score

Atonement
Ratatouille
3:10 to Yuma

Best Song

Once ("Falling Slowly" Music and Lyric by Glen Hansard and Marketa Irglova)
Enchanted ("Happy Working Song" Music by Alan Menken; Lyric by Stephen Schwartz)

Best Picture

Atonement
Juno
Michael Clayton
No Country for Old Men
There Will Be Blood

Best Animated Short Film

I Met the Walrus
Madame Tutli-Putli
Meme Les Pigeons Vont Au Paradis (Even Pigeons Go to Heaven)
My Love (Moya Lyubov)
Peter & The Wolf

Best Live Action Short Film

At Night
Il Supplente (The Substitute)
Le Mozart Des Pickpockets (The Mozart of Pickpockets)
Tanghi Arngentini
The Tonto Woman

Best Sound Editing

The Bourne Ultimatum
No Country for Old Men
Ratatouille
There Will Be Blood
Transformers

Best Sound Mixing

The Bourne Ultimatum
No Country for Old Men
Ratatouille
3:10 to Yuma
Transformers

Best Visual Effects

Pirates of the Carbbean: At World's End
Transformers

Best Adapted Screenplay

Christopher Hampton for Atonement
Sarah Polley for Away From Her
Ronald Harwood for The Diving Bell and The Butterfly
Joel Coen and Ethan Coen for No Country for Old Men
Paul Thomas Anderson for There Will Be Blood

Best Original Screenplay

Diablo Cody for Juno
Nancy Oliver for Lars and The Real Girl
Tony Gilroy for Michael Clayton
Brad Bird, Jan Pinkava and Jim Capobianco for Ratatouille
Tamara Jenkins for The Savages

Find out more at these sites

Oscars.com
imdb.comAugust Rush (??)
Enchanted ("So Close" Music by Alan Menken; Lyric by Stephen Schwartz)
Enchanted ("That's How You Know" Music by Alan Menken; Lyric by Stephen Schwartz)