The wait is over. The stakes are up. The ballot has been closed. The list is rolled. The nominees are here.

Announced this morning by the gorgeous Salma Hayek [who's an Academy member, in case you don't know] was the 2007 Oscars nominations. Dreamgirls lead the nominees with 8 nominations but failing to get a Best Picture nom. Babel followed on the second spot with 7 nominations, including Best Picture, Best Director and two Best Supporting Actresses nods. Pan's Labyrinth did well with 6 nominations but did not get a Best Picture nod. Unfair! Things like this always happen in the Academy and some movies and actors are shut out of the categories. The Departed was a really good movie and thank God they nominated Martin Scorcese for Best Director - but the question is, how come Jack Nicholson wasn't nominated for Best Supporting Actor, and went to Mark Wahlberg instead. Does that mean that Wahlberg was a better actor than the great and massive Nicholson? Bleming hell, I've seen the film and Nicholson was a top-notch actor in The Departed. I was astoundingly surprised Brad Pitt was snubbed at the Best Actor category for Babel, and even more surprised when Ryan Gosling was nominated for his film Half-Nelson. I am actually thrilled to hear Gosling getting a nod for he's one of the best young actors in his generation and quite thrilled to see Half-Nelson soon. I've heard the film was very well-reviewed. Beyonce was out. Jennifer Hudson is in for Best Supporting Actress nod. Knowles's parents, c'mon, don't make it such a fuss. For me, I also couldn't really accept it if my daughter was beat out by a newcomer like Hudson. Maybe this girl got what it takes, you know. And for Children of Men, probably one of the best films of the year, grabbed nominations for technical department like Best Cinematography but Alfonso Cuaron, who had directed this very fine film, was snubbed for Best Director! Who in the world kicks Cuaron out of the field? You bloody Oscar voters not using your bloody useless brains, this man should be on the list! It's very obvious and Cuaron's direction is a landmark, a phenomenon. Sometimes, life sucks really. Even moreso, Sofia Coppola's brilliant period piece, Marie Antoinette, only got 1 nomination for Best Costume Design, and it deserves to be nominated for Best Adapted Screenplay and Best Make-Up. Click got a Best Make-Up nom! Who in the world nominates Click for Best Make-Up? Who in the hell falls for Adam Sandler's lousy schmoozles? THE ACADEMY!!!

Alright, here's the nominees. Might as well just sleep and wait for February 27th to come. Zzzzz...


Best Picture
THE DEPARTED
BABEL
LITTLE MISS SUNSHINE
LETTERS FROM IWO JIMA
THE QUEEN

Actor in a Leading Role
Forest Whitaker, THE LAST KING OF SCOTLAND
Peter O'Toole, VENUS
Will Smith, THE PURSUIT OF HAPPYNESS
Leonardo DiCaprio, BLOOD DIAMOND
Ryan Gosling, HALF NELSON

Actress in a Leading Role
Helen Mirren, THE QUEEN
Judi Dench, NOTES ON A SCANDAL
Kate Winslet, LITTLE CHILDREN
Penelope Cruz, VOLVER
Meryl Street, THE DEVIL WEARS PRADA

Best Director
Martin Scorsese, THE DEPARTED
Paul Greengrass, UNITED 93
Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu, BABEL
Stephen Frears, THE QUEEN
Clint Eastwood, LETTERS FROM IWO JIMA

Actor in a Supporting Role
Eddie Murphy, DREAMGIRLS
Alan Arkin, LITTLE MISS SUNSHINE
Mark Wahlberg, THE DEPARTED
Djimon Hounsou, BLOOD DIAMOND
Jackie Earle Haley, LITTLE CHILDREN

Actress in a Supporting Role
Jennifer Hudson, DREAMGIRLS
Adriana Barraza, BABEL
Rinko Kinkuchi, BABEL
Abigail Breslin, LITTLE MISS SUNSHINE
Cate Blanchett, NOTES ON A SCANDAL

Best Original Screenplay
THE QUEEN
LITTLE MISS SUNSHINE
BABEL
LETTERS FROM IWO JIMA
PAN'S LABYRINTH

Best Adapted Screenplay
THE DEPARTED
LITTLE CHILDREN
NOTES ON A SCANDAL
BORAT
CHILDREN OF MEN

Best Original Score
BABEL
THE GOOD GERMAN
NOTES ON A SCANDAL
PAN'S LABYRINTH
THE QUEEN

Best Animated Film
HAPPY FEET
CARS
MONSTER HOUSE

Best Foreign Film
PAN'S LABYRINTH
AFTER THE WEDDING
WATER
DAYS OF GLORY (INDIGENES)
L'ENFANT

Best Art Direction
PAN'S LABYRINTH
DREAMGIRLS
PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN: DEAD MAN’S CHEST
THE GOOD SHEPHERD
THE PRESTIGE

Best Cinematography
CHILDREN OF MEN
THE PRESTIGE
THE ILLUSIONIST
THE BLACK DAHLIA
PAN'S LABYRINTH

Best Costume Design
DREAMGIRLS
MARIE ANTOINETTE
CURSE OF THE GOLDEN FLOWER
THE QUEEN
THE DEVIL WEARS PRADA

Best Documentary Feature
AN INCONVENIENT TRUTH
DELIVER US FROM EVIL
IRAQ IN FRAGMENTS
JESUS CAMP
MY COUNTRY, MY COUNTRY

Best Documentary (Short Subject)
THE BLOOD OF YINGZHOU DISTRICT
RECYCLED LIFE
REHEARSING A DREAM
TWO HANDS

Best Film Editing
BABEL
THE DEPARTED
UNITED 93
CHILDREN OF MEN
BLOOD DIAMOND

Best Makeup
PAN'S LABYRINTH
APOCALYPTO
CLICK

Best Short Film (Animated)
THE DANISH POET
LIFTED
THE LITTLE MATCHGIRL
MAESTRO
NO TIME FOR NUTS

Best Short Film (Live-Action)
BINTA AND THE GREAT IDEA (BINTA Y LA GRAN IDEA)
ÉRAMOS POCOS (ONE TOO MANY)
HELMER & SON
THE SAVIOUR
WEST BANK STORY

Best Sound Editing
APOCALYPTO
BLOOD DIAMOND
PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN: DEAD MAN'S CHEST
FLAGS OF OUR FATHERS
LETTERS FROM IWON JIMA

Best Sound Mixing
DREAMGIRLS
PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN: DEAD MAN'S CHEST
FLAGS OF OUR FATHERS
BLOOD DIAMOND
APOCALYPTO

Best Visual Effects
POSEIDON
PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN: DEAD MAN'S CHEST
SUPERMAN RETURNS

Best Original Song
“Love You I Do” – DREAMGIRLS, Jennifer Hudson
“Listen” – DREAMGIRLS, Beyonce Knowles
“I Need to Wake Up” - AN INCONVENIENT TRUTH, Melissa Etheridge
“Patience” – DREAMGIRLS, Eddie Murphy
“Our Town” - CARS, James Taylor