Who Will Thank the Academy?

At 8:00 p.m. ET/5:00 p.m. PT on the 25^th of February, 2007, the 79^th Annual Academy Awards ceremony will take place.

Dreamgirls leads the pack with eight nominations. Babel is close behind with seven. Sixteen other films received multiple nominations, and forty films have received one nomination apiece. The total number of films receiving nominations for this year's Academy Awards is 58.

After just recently receiving Golden Globes for the same roles, many actors, directors, and films have received Oscar nominations.

The Oscar nominations are as follows, with Golden Globe winners receiving an asterisk and newcomers being italicized and in parentheses:

Leading Actors
Peter O'Toole - Venus
Will Smith - The Pursuit Of Happyness
*Forest Whitaker - The Last King Of Scotland
Leonardo Dicaprio - Blood Diamond
(Ryan Gosling - Half Nelson)

Supporting Actors
*Eddie Murphy - Dreamgirls
Mark Wahlberg - The Departed
(Alan Arkin - Little Miss Sunshine)
(Jackie Earle Haley - Little Children)
(Djimon Hounsou - Blood Diamond)

Leading Actresses
Penélope Cruz - Volver
Judi Dench - Notes On A Scandal
*Helen Mirren - The Queen
Meryl Streep - The Devil Wears Prada
Kate Winslet - Little Children

Supporting Actresses
Adriana Barraza - Babel
Cate Blanchett - Notes On A Scandal
*Jennifer Hudson - Dreamgirls
Rinko Kikuchi - Babel
(Abigail Breslin - Little Miss Sunshine)

Animated Feature
*Cars
Happy Feet
Monster House

Achievement In Directing
Babel
*The Departed
Letters From Iwo Jima
The Queen
(United 93)

Best Foreign Language Film Of The Year
The Lives Of Others
Pan's Labyrinth
(After The Wedding)
(Days Of Glory (Indigènes))
(Water)

Original Score
Babel
(The Good German)
(Notes on a Scandal)
(Pan's Labyrinth)
(The Queen)

Original Song
"Listen" - Dreamgirls
("I Need to Wake Up" - An Inconvenient Truth)
("Love You I Do" - Dreamgirls)
("Our Town" - Cars)
("Patience" - Dreamgirls)

Best Motion Picture of the Year
Babel
The Departed
The Queen
(Little Miss Sunshine)
**(Letters From Iwo Jima) - won for a different category - "Best Foreign Language Film"

†Adapted Screenplay - there was one broad category "Best Screenplay"
The Departed
Little Children
Notes On A Scandal
(Borat: Cultural Learnings of America For Make Benefit Glorious Nation Of Kazakhstan)
(Children Of Men)

†Original Screenplay - there was one broad category "Best Screenplay"
Babel
*The Queen
(Letters From Iwo Jima)
(Little Miss Sunshine)
(Pan's Labyrinth)

Among the other categories to be presented are: Achievements in Art Direction, Cinematography, Costume Design, Film Editing, Makeup, Sound Editing, Sound Mixing, and Visual Effects; Best Documentary Feature and Short Subject; Best Animated Short and Best Live Action Short.

Newcomers to these categories include The Good Shepherd, The Black Dahlia, The Illusionist, The Prestige, Cure of the Golden Flower, Marie Antoinette, Deliver Us From Evil, Iraq in Fragments, Jesus Camp, My Country, My Country, The Blood Of Yingzhou District, Recycled Life, Rehearsing A Dream, Two Hands, Click, The Danish Poet, Lifted, The Little Matchgirl, Maestro, No Time For Nuts, Binta And The Great Idea (Binta Y La Gran Idea), Éramos Pocos (One Too Many), The Saviour, Helmer & Son, West Bank Story, Poseidon, and Superman Returns.

Apocalypto and Flags of Our Fathers both received nominations in the Golden Globes, but were not nominated in any of the top categories.

Visit www.oscar.com to print out your own nomination list and keep track of your votes. Also enter a sweepstakes to win a a grand prize trip for two to Los Angeles, tickets to sit in the red carpet arrival area, and $250.00 spending money. There are also four first prizes to receive an 80 GB iPod.

The best way to enjoy the Oscars (and win the sweepstakes) is to know the films nominated. Remember Meryl Streep's speech at the Golden Globes - if your theatre is not showing a particular film, ask the manager why. Go to

Now there is a little over a month to get into gear and start viewing!