Oscar nominations prove disappointing, surprising

The 79th Annual Academy Award nominations were announced on Tuesday, but surprisingly… The 79th Annual Academy Award nominations were announced on Tuesday, but surprisingly enough, “Dreamgirls” was robbed.

As this year’s Golden Globe winner for Best Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy, “Dreamgirls” will not get a chance to walk away as Oscar night’s biggest winner. The film leads this year with a total of eight nominations but seems to have been overlooked in the coveted Best Picture category.

Instead, the best motion picture contenders are “Babel,” “The Departed,” “Letters From Iwo Jima,” “Little Miss Sunshine” and “The Queen.” If the Golden Globes have any influence on the Academy, “Babel,” which wound up in second place with a total of seven nominations, could walk away as the night’s big winner.

In the Best Supporting Actress category, “Babel” dominates with two nominees: Rinko Kikuchi, for her highly acclaimed performance as a deaf-mute teenager, and Adriana Barraza, who plays Amelia, a Mexican nanny, in the film. Cate Blanchett (“Notes on a Scandal”), Abigail Breslin (“Little Miss Sunshine”) and Jennifer Hudson (“Dreamgirls”) are among the other nominees in this category.

Golden Globe winner Forest Whitaker is nominated for best actor as Ugandan dictator Idi Amin in “The Last King of Scotland.” By taking a look at the other nominees, who are Ryan Gosling (“Half Nelson”), Peter O’Toole (“Venus”), Leonardo DiCaprio (“Blood Diamond”) and Will Smith (“The Pursuit of Happyness”), DiCaprio is the only contender who could possibly be strong enough to take on Whitaker.

With all the nonsense hype centered around DiCaprio this award season, it may end up being a blessing in the end if DiCaprio triumphs over Whitaker.

The Best Actress category is comprised of a group of very talented and diverse women. The actresses nominated in this category range from the dramatic performance of Penelope Cruz in “Volver” to Meryl Streep’s hilariously intimidating portrayal of Miranda Priestly in “The Devil Wears Prada,” which has already earned her a Golden Globe award. Judi Dench (“Notes on a Scandal”), Helen Mirren (“The Queen”) and Kate Winslet (“Little Children”) are among the other nominees for best actress.

In the Best Supporting Actor category, nominees include Eddie Murphy (“Dreamgirls”), Mark Walhberg (“The Departed”) and three lesser known nominees – Jackie Earle Haley (“Little Children”), Djimon Hounsou (“Blood Diamond”) and Alan Arkin (“Little Miss Sunshine”).

Hey, what happened to Brad Pitt?

Obviously, the Academy doesn’t think his performance in “Babel” was good enough to earn him a nod.

Speaking of not being good enough, after winning Best Actor in a Comedy for “Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan,” Sacha Baron Cohen was not so lucky this time.

The Academy wasn’t too fond of “Borat,” which went almost completely unnoticed with only one nod for Best Adapted Screenplay. And if that isn’t bad enough, the film’s competitors, which are “Children of Men,” “The Departed,” “Little Children” and “Notes on a Scandal,” have earned at least three nominations or more and seem to be more popular with the Academy overall. It doesn’t look too good for the glorious nation of Kazakhstan. Sorry, “Borat” fans – not!

The nominations for achievement in directing include “Babel,” “The Departed,” “Letters From Iwo Jima,” “The Queen” and “United 93.” How did “United 93” pull that off? The other four nominations make complete sense, but why “United 93?”

The Best Original Song category is bursting with glitz, glamour and attitude, all thanks to “Dreamgirls.” Despite the film’s absence in the Best Picture category, “Dreamgirls” dominates in the original song category with three of the five nominations. With those kinds of odds, it’d better win.

Three films are up for the Best Animated Feature Film this year. The two popular films in this category, “Cars” and “Happy Feet,” will easily push “Monster House” out of the picture and be left to battle it out for the win.

For a complete list of nominees, check out http://www.oscars.com, and don’t forget to tune in to ABC at 8 p.m. on Sunday, Feb. 25, to see who comes out on top on Oscar night.