Chicago has led the charge at the Oscar nominations with 13 nods, including best picture. If it goes on to win the main award, it will be the first musical to do so since 1968.
The Hours, meanwhile, received nine nominations. Nicole Kidman's powerhouse performance as Virginia Woolf is considered the frontrunner to receive the best actress gong, though Julianne Moore, Salma Hayek, Diane Lane and Renee Zellweger are also in the running.
Michael Caine is nominated for the best actor for his performance in The Quiet American, but he faces similarly stiff competition from Adrien Brody (The Pianist), Jack Nicholson (About Schmidt), Nicolas Cage (Adaptation) and Daniel Day-Lewis (Gangs Of New York).
Jack Nicholson's nomination, his 12th, makes him the most-nominated actor ever. Should he emerge victorious on Oscar night he will be the most decorated actor in Academy history, with four acting gongs to decorate his mantelpiece.
Meryl Streep broke a record of her own after her acclaimed performance in Adaptation won her a 13th nod, making her the most nominated performer of either sex. Also on the shortlist are Kathy Bates, Julianne Moore, Queen Latifah and Catherine Zeta-Jones. Should Julianne manage to win in both the best actress and best supporting actress sections, she will become the first person ever to win both categories in the same year.
Amongst the other notable nominations is John C Reilly, who appeared in Chicago, Gangs Of New York and The Hours. It was his performance in Chicago that secured him a best supporting actor nod. In the directing category, Martin Scorsese is in the running to receive his first ever Oscar for Gangs Of New York. Roman Polanski, who is nominated for The Pianist, has not been to the US since 1978, when he fled America to avoid sentencing after a criminal conviction.
It was also a good year for foreign language films with Talk To Her from Spain scoring a best director nomination for Pedro Almodovar. Both Talk To Her and another foreign language film, Mexico's Y Tu Mama Tambien, are in the running for best screenplay.
The nominees were announced by In The Bedroom star Marisa Tomei, who picked up a best supporting actress gong for My Cousin Vinnie in 1992. The winners will be announced on March 23 in Los Angeles.
Photo: © Alphapress.com
Photo: © Alphapress.com
Photo: © Alphapress.com
