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BY JOHN SOLTES
NEWJERSEYNEWSROOM.COM
Martin Scorsese's 3D family film, 'Hugo,' led the nomination list for the 2012 Academy Awards. In addition to nods for Scorsese's directing efforts and Best Picture, the film will compete in the Adapted Screenplay (John Logan), Cinematography, Editing, Art Direction, Costume Design, Original Score, Sound Mixing, Sound Editing and Visual Effects categories. It becomes one of the few movies in recent memory to earn the most nominations without any acting nods.
Right on the heels of 'Hugo' is 'The Artist,' the tribute to the silent film era from writer-director Michel Hazanavicius, which scored 10 nominations, including a Best Lead Actor nod for Jean Dujardin and Best Supporting Actress nod for Berenice Bejo. Industry insiders say 'The Artist,' which won Best Picture, Comedy or Musical at the Golden Globes, has built enough buzz to be the frontrunner for the big prize.
Joining 'Hugo' and 'The Artist' in the top category are seven other contenders, including 'The Descendants,' 'Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close,' 'The Help,' 'Midnight in Paris,' 'Moneyball,' 'The Tree of Life' and 'War Horse.'
'The Descendants,' which won the Golden Globe for Best Picture, Drama, also earned an acting nomination for George Clooney, a directing nomination for Alexander Payne and an adapted screenplay nomination.
Meryl Streep of 'The Iron Lady' will face off against Michelle Williams ('My Week with Marilyn'), Viola Davis ('The Help'), Glenn Close ('Albert Nobbs') and Rooney Mara ('The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo') in the Best Lead Actress category. Streep and Davis have won most of the critics' prizes. One notable snub was Tilda Swinton, a past winner for 'Michael Clayton,' who didn't hear her name called for 'We Need to Talk About Kevin.'
Clooney is the frontrunner for Best Lead Actor. He will face off against Demian Bichir ('A Better Life'), Jean Dujardin ('The Artist'), Gary Oldman ('Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy') and Brad Pitt ('Moneyball'). It appears that Oldman and Bichir's surprise nominations kicked out Leonard DiCaprio's turn in 'J. Edgar' and Michael Fassbender in 'Shame.'
Octavia Spencer ('The Help') received her first nomination and stands as the best bet for the Supporting Actress crown. Her competition includes Berenice Bejo ('The Artist'), Jessica Chastain ('The Help'), Melissa McCarthy ('Bridesmaids') and Janet McTeer ('Albert Nobbs').
