The Nominations ...

Snubs. "Dreamgirls" is out of the Best Picture race. No Best Supporting Actor Prize for Jack Nicholson's devilish villain in "The Departed" (the recognition went to a co-conspirator in crime, Mark Wahlberg's hothead detective, instead). Surprises. Be happy for Paul Greengrass as a Best Director candidate for the expert docudrama "United 93" and Abigail Breslin as the phenomenal Little Miss Olive Hoover in Best Picture contender "Little Miss Sunshine." I can't wait to hear her scream, as much of an ear-splitter as we all know she can be, as she accepts her award for Best Supporting Actress. As I said last post, "Little Miss Sunshine," the, let's face it, outsider at the awards pageant, will take the Oscar, "Super Freak" showstopper or no "Super Freak" showstopper at the podium. The rest is no surprise. Stay alert for an Oscar ballot, complete with predictions in print in Jersey Alive! and available at www.app.com/entertainment.

Best Picture
"Babel"
"The Departed"
"Letters From Iwo Jima"
"Little Miss Sunshine"
"The Queen"

Best Director
Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu, "Babel"
Martin Scorsese, "The Departed"
Clint Eastwood, "Letters From Iwo Jima"
Stephen Frears, "The Queen"
Paul Greengrass, "United 93"

Best Actor
Leonardo DiCaprio, "Blood Diamond"
Ryan Gosling, "Half Nelson"
Peter O'Toole, "Venus"
Will Smith, "The Pursuit of Happyness"
Forest Whitaker, "The Last King of Scotland"

Best Actress
Penelope Cruz, "Volver"
Judi Dench, "Notes on a Scandal"
Helen Mirren, "The Queen"
Meryl Streep, "The Devil Wears Prada"
Kate Winslet, "Little Children"

Best Supporting Actor
Alan Arkin, "Little Miss Sunshine"
Jackie Earle Haley, "Little Children"
Djimon Hounsou, "Blood Diamond"
Eddie Murphy, "Dreamgirls"
Mark Wahlberg, "The Departed"

Best Supporting Actress
Adriana Barraza, "Babel"
Cate Blanchett, "Notes on a Scandal"
Abigail Breslin, "Little Miss Sunshine"
Jennifer Hudson, "Dreamgirls"
Rinko Kikuchi, "Babel"

Best Adapted Screenplay
Sacha Baron Cohen & Anthony Hines & Peter Baynham & Dan Mazer, "Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan"
Alfonso Cuaron & Timothy J. Sexton & David Arata & Mark Fergus & Hawk Ostby, "Children of Men"
William Monahan, "The Departed"
Todd Field & Tom Perrotta, "Little Children"
Patrick Marber, "Notes on a Scandal"

Best Original Screenplay
Guillermo Arriaga, "Babel"
Iris Yamashita, "Letters From Iwo Jima"
Michael Arndt, "Little Miss Sunshine"
Guillermo Del Toro, "Pan's Labyrinth"
Peter Morgan, "The Queen"

Best Foreign Film
"After the Wedding"
"Days of Glory" (Indigenes)
"The Lives of Others"
"Pan's Labyrinth"
"Water"

Best Animated Feature
"Cars"
"Happy Feet"
"Monster House"

Best Art Direction
"Dreamgirls"
Art Direction: John Myhre; Set Decoration: Nancy Haigh
"The Good Shepherd"
Art Direction: Jeannine Oppewall; Set Decoration: Gretchen Rau and Leslie E. Rollins
"Pan's Labyrinth"
Art Direction: Eugenio Caballero; Set Decoration: Pilar Revuelta
"Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest"
Art Direction: Rick Heinrichs; Set Decoration: Cheryl A. Carasik
"The Prestige"
Art Direction: Nathan Crowley; Set Decoration: Julie Ochipinti

Best Cinematography
Vilmos Zsigmond, "The Black Dahlia"
Emmanuel Lubezki, "Children of Men"
Dick Pope, "The Illusionist"
Guillermo Navarro, "Pan's Labyrinth"
Wally Pfister, "The Prestige"

Best Costume Design
Yee Chung Man, "Curse of the Golden Flower"
Patricia Field, "The Devil Wears Prada"
Sharen Davis, "Dreamgirls"
Milena Canonero, "Marie Antoinette"
Consolata Boyle, "The Queen"

Best Documentary
"Deliver Us From Evil"
"An Inconvenient Truth"
"Iraq in Fragments"
"Jesus Camp"
"My Country, My Country"

Best Film Editing
Stephen Mirrione and Douglas Crise, "Babel"
Steven Rosenblum, "Blood Diamond"
Alex Rodriguez and Alfonso Cuaron, "Children of Men"
Thelma Schoonmaker, "The Departed"
Clare Douglas, Christopher Rouse and Richard Pearson, "United 93"

Best Makeup
Adlo Signoretti and Vittorio Sodano, "Apocalypto"
Kazuhiro Tsuji and Bill Corso, "Click"
David Marti and Montse Ribe, "Pan's Labyrinth"

Best Original Score
Gustavo Santaolalla, "Babel"
Thomas Newman, "The Good German"
Philip Glass, "Notes on a Scandal"
Javier Navarrete, "Pan's Labyrinth"
Alexandre Desplat, "The Queen"

Best Original Song
"I Need to Wake Up" for "An Inconvenient Truth"
Music and Lyric by Melissa Etheridge
"Listen" for "Dreamgirls"
Music by Henry Krieger and Scott Cutler; Lyric by Anne Preven
"Love You I Do" for "Dreamgirls"
Music by Henry Krieger; Lyric by Siedah Garrett
"Our Town" for "Cars"
Music and Lyric by Randy Newman
"Patience" for "Dreamgirls"
Music by Henry Krieger; Lyric by Willie Reale

Best Sound
Kevin O'Connell, Greg P. Russell and Fernando Camara, "Apocalypto"
Andy Nelson, Anna Behlmer and Ivan Sharrock, "Blood Diamond"
Michael Minkler, Bob Beemer and Willie Burton, "Dreamgirls"
John Reitz, Dave Campbell, Gregg Rudloff and Walt Martin, "Flags of Our Fathers"
Paul Massey, Christopher Boyes and Lee Orloff, "Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest"

Best Sound Editing
Sean McCormack and Kami Asgar, "Apocalypto"
Lon Bender, "Blood Diamond"
Alan Robert Murray and Bub Asman, "Flags of Our Fathers"
Alan Robert Murray, "Letters From Iwo Jima"
Christopher Boyes and George Watters II, "Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest"

Best Visual Effects
John Knoll, Hal Hickel, Charles Gibson and Allen Hall, "Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest"
Boyd Shermis, Kim Libreri, Chaz Jarrett and John Frazier, "Poseidon"
Mark Stetson, Neil Corbould, Richard R. Hoover and Jon Thum, "Superman Returns"

Best Documentary Short Subject
"The Blood of Yingzhou District"
"Recycled Life"
"Rehearsing a Dream"
"Two Hands"

Best Animated Short
"The Danish Poet"
"Lifted"
"The Little Matchgirl"
"Maestro"
"No Time for Nuts"

Best Live Action Short
"Binta and the Great Idea" (Binta Y La Gran Idea)
"Eramos Pocos" (One Too Many)
"Helmer & Son"
"The Saviour"
"West Bank Story"