The nominees for the 2012 Academy Awards were announced on Tuesday morning, and as expected, films about films led the way.
"The Artist," the silent, black and white tribute to old Hollywood, earned a nod for Best Picture, and, after a series of recent critics and guild award wins, is considered the favorite. Writer/director Michel Hazanavicius received nominations for both Best Director and Best Original Screenplay. Jean Dujardin was handed a bid for Best Actor for his turn as George Valentin, a silent film star who refuses to move into the era of the talkies; he earned the Golden Globe for Best Actor in a Musical/Comedy earlier this month. Bérénice Bejo, for her role as starlet Peppy Miller, earned a nomination for Best Supporting Actress.
"Hugo," Martin Scorsese's 3D family homage to film preservation, earned 11 nominations.
"The Descendants," the Alexander Payne-directed dramedy considered the other top awards contender, was also nominated for Best Picture; Payne earned a nod for Best Director and Best Adapted Screenplay, the latter of which he shares with writers Nat Faxon and Jim Rash. George Clooney, who stars as a beleaguered father, soon-to-be-widower and trustee of sacred family land in Hawaii, earned a nomination for Best Actor; he was awarded the Golden Globe for Best Actor in a Drama earlier in January.
"The Help," the tale of domestic workers in segregated Mississippi at the beginning of the Civil Rights era, also earned a Best Picture nod, as well as a nomination for Viola Davis for Best Actress and nods for Jessica Chastain and Octavia Spencer for Best Supporting Actress.
"Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close," the polarizing film about a boy in search of a secret from the father he lost on 9/11, earned a surprise nod for Best Picture, while Steven Spielberg's "War Horse" also slipped in. "Bridesmaids" earned a nomination for Best Original Screenplay for Kristen Wiig and Annie Mumolo, while Melissa McCarthy got a nod for Best Supporting Actress.
Relative newcomer Rooney Mara got a nomination for Best Actress for her chilling turn in "The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo," though director David Fincher was left out.
Terrence Malick's artistic and polarizing "The Tree of Life," which starred Brad Pitt and Jessica Chastain -- who earned nominations for other films -- got a nomination for Best Picture; Malick earned a nod for Best Director.
Here's the entire list of nominees; check out snubs and surprises analysis by clicking here. For all your Oscar coverage, click over to Moviefone.
Best Picture"The Artist""The Descendants""Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close""Hugo""Midnight in Paris""The Help""Moneyball""War Horse""The Tree of Life"
Best ActorDemian Bichir, "A Better Life"George Clooney, "The Descendants"Jean Dujardin, "The Artist"Gary Oldman, "Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy"Brad Pitt, "Moneyball"
Best ActressGlenn Close, "Albert Nobbs"Viola Davis, "The Help"Rooney Mara, "The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo"Meryl Streep, "The Iron Lady"Michelle Williams, "My Week With Marilyn"
Best Supporting ActorKenneth Branagh, "My Week With Marilyn"Jonah Hill, "Moneyball"Nick Nolte, "Warrior"Christopher Plummer, "Beginners"Max Von Sydow, "Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close"
Best Supporting ActressBerenice Bejo, "The Artist"Jessica Chastain, "The Help"Melissa McCarthy, "Bridesmaids"Janet McTeer, "Albert Nobbs"Octavia Spencer, "The Help"
Best DirectorWoody Allen, "Midnight in Paris"Michel Hazanavicius, "The Artist"Terrence Malick, "The Tree of Life"Alexander Payne, "The Descendants"Martin Scorsese, "Hugo"
Best Original ScreenplayWoody Allen, "Midnight in Paris"JC Chandor, "Margin Call"Asghar Farhadi, "A Separation"Michel Hazanavicius, "The Artist"Kristen Wiig and Annie Mumolo, "Bridesmaids"
Best Adapted ScreenplayAlexander Payne, Nat Faxton, Jim Rash, "The Descendants"John Logan, "Hugo"George Clooney, Grant Heslov, Beau Willimon, "The Ides of March"Aaron Sorkin, Steven Zaillian, "Moneyball"Bridget O'Connor, Peter Straughn, "Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy"
Best Animated Feature"A Cat In Paris""Chico & Rita""Kung Fu Panda 2""Puss in Boots""Rango"
Best Foreign Language Film of the YearBullhead (Belgium)Footnote (Israel)In Darkness (Poland)Monsieur Lazhar (Canada)A Separation (Iran)
Original Score"The Adventures of Tintin," John Williams"The Artist," Ludovic Bource"Hugo," Howard Shore"Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy," Alberto Iglesias"War Horse," John Williams
Best Original Song"Man or Muppet," The Muppets; Music and Lyric by Bret McKenzie"Real in Rio," Rio; Music by Sergio Mendes and Carlinhos Brown, Lyric by Siedah Garrett
Best Achievement in Art Direction"The Artist""Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2""Hugo""Midnight in Paris""War Horse"
Best Achievement in Cinematography"The Artist""The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo""Hugo""The Tree of Life""War Horse"
Best Achievement in Costume Design"Anonymous""The Artist""Hugo""Jane Eyre""W.E."
Best Documentary Feature"Hell and Back Again""If a Tree Falls: A Story of the Earth Liberation Front""Paradise Lost 3: Purgatory""Pina""Undefeated"
Best Documentary Short Subject"The Barber of Birmingham: Foot Soldier of the Civil Rights Movement?""God Is the Bigger Elvis""Incident in New Baghdad""Saving Face""The Tsunami and the Cherry Blossom"
Best Achievement in Film Editing"The Artist""The Descendants""The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo""Hugo""Moneyball"
Best Achievement in Makeup"Albert Nobbs""Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2""The Iron Lady"
Best Animated Short FilmDimanche/SundayThe Fantastic Flying Books of Mr. Morris LessmoreLa LunaA Morning StrollWild Life
Best Live Action Short Film"Pentecost""Raju""The Shore""Time Freak""Tuba Atlantic"
Best Achievement in Sound Editing"Drive""The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo""Hugo""Transformers: Dark of the Moon""War Horse"
Best Achievement in Sound Mixing"The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo""Hugo""Moneyball""Transformers: Dark of the Moon""War Horse"
Best Achievement in Visual Effects"Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2""Hugo""Real Steel""Rise of the Planet of the Apes""Transformers: Dark of the Moon"
