By Jon Tollestrup
Oscar glory suffused brightly over Tinsletown at the break of dawn Tuesday, Jan. 31, 2006, as the 78th Annual Academy Award nominations were announced. This year it seems the Academy is rolling out the rainbow carpet instead of the red carpet, as films with gay themes and characters hauled in a mountain of nominations.
As expected, the controversial film 'Brokeback Mountain' herded away more nominations than any other film this year with eight, including Best Picture.
Other films rounding out the Best Picture category were 'Capote,' 'Crash,' 'Good Night, and Good Luck' and 'Munich.'
Close behind 'Brokeback' with six nominations of it''s own was 'Crash,' a harrowing look at the complexities fueling racism in Los Angeles. With it''s upset SAG win for Best Ensemble Cast last Sunday, 'Crash' looks to be the toughest competition set to collide with 'Brokeback' for top honors.
Also poised to possibly break 'Brokeback''s' winning ways with six nominations is the political drama 'Good Night, and Good Light,' but as an underdog in this race things might not be so black and white.
The Best Director category mirrored the Best Picture category, with each film''s director snagging a nomination for their work. After lassoing Best Director of the year from the Director''s Guild last week, 'Brokeback''s' commander in chief Ang Lee looks to be riding out in front of the competition, with what many in the film industry consider to be a harbinger film.
In the acting slots, fortunes smiled on the rookies, as 14 of the overall 20 acting nominations went to first-time nominees. However, almost each category was led by expected favorites who have pretty much perfected the art of the acceptance speech with all the pre-Oscar accolades they have collected.
In the Best Actor category, Philip Seymour Hoffman continued to lengthen his stride over the competition for capturing the fey mannerisms of author Truman Capote. The other gentlemen looking to unseat Hoffman are Joaquin Phoenix for 'Walk the Line,' Heath Ledger for 'Brokeback Mountain,' David Strathairn for 'Good Night, and Good Luck' and Terrence Howard for 'Hustle and Flow.'
For the ladies, the nominations fell into place as well. Leading the way was Reese Witherspoon, who continued to walk the walk with a SAG win last Sunday, Jan. 28, 2006, for her portrayal of June Carter in 'Walk the Line.' But close at her heals is Felicity Huffman, with her gender-bending role in the indie-flick 'Transamerica.' Rounding out the list were Charlize Theron for 'North Country,' Judi Dench, marking her fifth nod, for 'Mrs. Henderson Presents' and surprise nominee Keira Knightley for 'Pride and Prejudice,' proving Hollywood has no prejudice''s about her.
Funnily enough, E! Entertainment Television goofed, in it''s early morning live telecast, when it ran a graphic that said Charlize Theron was nominated for box-office dud 'Aeon Flux.' True film fans will appreciate this little blunder.
As always though, the Academy likes to tread it''s own path my directing some Oscar attention to actors whose performances have gone somewhat under the radar of the awards season. This year was no exception, as surprises in the supporting acting categories cropped up with film veteran William Hurt''s nomination for 'A History of Violence' and newcomer Amy Adams for her quirky turn in 'Junebug.'
However, with her recent SAG and Golden Globe wins in the Best Supporting Actress category, Rachel Weisz looks like she just might squash Adam''s on her way to her first win for the 'The Constant Gardener.'
Unlike it''s female counterpart however, the Best Supporting Actor category is anything but secure, as the pre-Oscar awards have been spread around to cast a question mark over this award. But with George Clooney being a triple threat with three nominations for Best Supporting Actor in 'Syriana' and Best Director and Original Screenplay for 'Goodnight, and Good Luck,' the Academy is going to want to show him some love and Best Supporting Actor looks to be where his luck is.
In the lesser-hyped technical and musical categories, the Japanese epic 'Memoirs of a Geisha' delicately dominated by dancing off with six nominations, including 'Art Direction,' 'Cinematography,' 'Costumes,' 'Original Score,' 'Sound Editing' and 'Sound Mixing.'
Inevitably careers will be changed when the 78th Annual Academy Awards, hosted by comedian Jon Stewart, unveils the winners March 5 in Hollywood, so until then good night, and good luck. For a complete list of the nominees visit oscar.com.