And the Nominees are...

Oscar nominations were announced yesterday!! I know you all are excited. Here is my first impression of who might win the major categories.

Note: These are not my final picks. I have the right to change my mind. I also haven't seen a lot of these movies, so my guesses are sometimes solely based on reviews I have read. I will update when I have had a chance to investigate further. I also want to make this distinction: these are movies I think will win; not necessarily movies I think should win. I am not automatically giving these movies a "good review" by saying they might win.

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

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

Best Actor in a Leading Role
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 in a Leading Role
Penelope Cruz - Volver
Judi Dench - Notes on a Scandal
Helen Mirren - The Queen
Meryl Streep - The Devil Wears Prada
Kate Winslet - Little Children

Best Actor in a Supporting Role
Alan Arkin - Little Miss Sunshine
Jackie Earle Haley - Little Children
Djimon Hounsou - Blood Diamond
Eddie Murphy - Dreamgirls
Mark Wahlberg - The Departed

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

(All information found on http://www.oscars.org)