George Clooney and Cate Blanchett are set for Oscars glory following the announcement of today's Academy Award nominations (22.01.08).
The Hollywood stars are up for the night's most prestigious accolades, with Clooney nominated for Best Actor for his performance in 'Michael Clayton', while Blanchett is in the running for both Best Actress and Best Supporting Actress for her turns in 'Elizabeth: The Golden Age' and Bob Dylan biopic 'I'm Not There' respectively. 'Michael Clayton' - which is in the running for seven prizes in total - is also up for the coveted Best Picture award, but will face stiff competition from Joel and Ethan Coen's 'No Country for Old Men' and director Paul Thomas Anderson's 'There Will Be Blood', which top the nominations list with eight nods each.
Also on the shortlist are British World War II drama 'Atonement' - which has been named in seven categories - and 'Juno', an independent film about a teenage girl's unplanned pregnancy. Clooney, 46, is up against 'There Will Be Blood' star Daniel Day-Lewis for the Best Actor gong, as well as Johnny Depp for his performance in 'SweeneyTodd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street'. 'In The Valley of Elah' star Tommy Lee Jones and Viggo Mortensen, who has been named for his portrayal of a Russian gangster in 'Eastern Promises', round off the category.
Blanchett - who won the Best Supporting Actress Oscar in 2004 for her portrayal of Katharine Hepburn in 'The Aviator' - is up against 20-year-old 'Juno' star Ellen Page, Marion Cotillard for her turn as French singer Édith Piaf in 'La Vie En Rose', Laura Linney for her performance in 'The Savages'and Ruby Dee for 'American Gangster'. 'Atonement' star Keira Knightley, who many thought would be a frontrunner for the prize, has been surprisingly overlooked.
The event's organisers insist the 80th Academy Awards will definitely go ahead with a star-studded ceremony at the Kodak Theatre in California on February 24, despite the current Hollywood writers' strike which saw the Golden Globes ceremony cancelled earlier this month. | 
