2008 Academy Awards nominees are announced

Find out who this years nominees are for the 80th annual Academy Awards.

With the Hollywood awards season in full swing, the list of nominees for the 80th Academy Awards has finally been announced. This year’s honorees represent 19 films in the acting and directing categories alone.

Leading the pack with eight nominations each are “There Will Be Blood” directed by Paul Thomas Anderson and the Coen brothers’ “No Country for Old Men.” Held annually at the Kodak Theater in Hollywood, the Oscars honor the very best in film in the last year with winners chosen by the members of the board of Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.

Comedian Jon Stewart is back for his second stint as host of the event. Stewart drew positive reviews for his hosting duties two years ago and joked to People Magazine, “I’m thrilled to be asked to host the Academy Awards for the second time because, as they say, the third time’s a charm.”

This year’s nominees list is heavy with Oscar first timers like Viggo Mortensen (“Eastern Promises”), Tilda Swinton (“Michael Clayton”) and Amy Ryan (“Gone Baby, Gone”) as well as mainstays George Clooney (“Michael Clayton”) and Cate Blanchett (“Elizabeth: The Golden Age” and “I’m Not There”).

Thirteen-year-old Saoirse Ronan (“Atonement”) and 20-year-old Ellen Page (“Juno”) are the youngest nominees on the ballot. Clevelander Hal Holbrook (“Into The Wild”), who will be 83 by the time the ceremony rolls around on Feb. 24, became the oldest male nominee in Academy history.

As the winners of the Golden Globe and Screen Actors Guild Awards customarily serve as predictors for the Oscars, the front runners for best picture seem to be “No Country for Old Men” and “Atonement,” an adaptation of Ian McEwan’s acclaimed novel. Javier Bardem is this year’s unofficial shoo-in for his supporting role as an assassin in “No Country for Old Men.” Julie Christie is the odds-on favorite in the best actress category for her poignant portrayal of a woman stricken with Alzheimers in “Away from Her.”

Predictions for the remaining two categories are less certain. The lead actor race is likely between Daniel Day-Lewis as a California oil man in “There Will Be Blood” and Johnny Depp as a murderous barber in Tim Burton’s “Sweeny Todd.” Supporting actress will probably be either perennial favorite Cate Blanchett for her unique portrayal of Bob Dylan in “I’m Not There” or Cleveland-native Ruby Dee as the family matriarch in “American Gangster.”

With the writers strike finally over, all signs are pointing to yet another fabulously glamorous celebration of film.