CATE BLANCHETT - OSCAR NOMINATIONS ANNOUNCED

No Country for Old Men and There Will Be Blood received eight Oscar nominations each, the most of any films that will be competing in this year's Academy Awards. Atonement and Michael Clayton each earned seven nominations. All four films were nominated for best film, along with the comedy Juno. The nominations were announced early today (Tuesday) in Beverly Hills, hours before an informal meeting was scheduled to take place between representatives of the Writers Guild of America and media executives that could determine whether the awards ceremonies would take place as usual next month. The nominations also included two for Cate Blanchett -- one for best actress for Elizabeth: The Golden Age, the other for best supporting actress for her portrayal of the young Bob Dylan in I'm Not There. Also nominated for best actress were Julie Christie for Away from Her, Marion Cotillard for La Vie En Rose, Laura Linney for The Savages and Ellen Page for Juno. In the best actor category, Daniel Day-Lewis was regarded as a shoo-in for his performance in There Will Be Blood. Also competing for the honor will be George Clooney for Michael Clayton, Johnny Depp for Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street, Tommy Lee Jones for In the Valley of Elah, and Viggo Mortenson for Eastern Promises. In the director's category, the contest appeared to be a two-way affair between Paul Thomas Anderson, who helmed There Will Be Blood and the Coen brothers, who directed No Country for Old Men. Also competing are Jason Reitman for Juno, Tony Gilroy for Michael Clayton and Julian Schnabel for The Diving Bell and the Butterfly.

22/01/2008